Call of the Night
by Spidermaster
Summary: Upon achieving that which he sought for so long, Hiccup finds that the love of his peers is less fulfilling than he hoped. Particularly in comparison to the love he finds outside of his own village. The young Viking will discover the life altering implications of a bond that runs far deeper than any human could suspect.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid or any other character or concept from the How to Train Your Dragon universe. I only own the story. This Fic is rated M for smexy Toothcup Yaoi and some graphic violence. The story begins within the movie, but diverges soon after the exposition.

This story was produced with the invaluable help of Midnight7716.

Chapter 1

Berk was asleep. Most of Berk anyway. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was up and about. Of course how could he be asleep. He was flying. That had been a close call. Astrid had been yards, YARDS away from Toothless. That had been a situation he had found almost intolerable. That girl loved violence far too much. The whole damn village loved violence far too much. If they could just be calm and peaceful once in a while, they might notice things. Things like the way light filtered through the forest on a summer day, or the way the waves glowed in the light of a full moon. Vikings never noticed that. But Hiccup did. Even now looking down on the village from on high he could see the last Vikings that weren't on watch, make their ways into their freshly built homes and extinguish the lights within, completely unaware of the presence of the feared Night Fury high above them.

"How you doin Bud?" They weren't very good at flight yet. Right now Hiccup was keeping the tailfin wide open to allow for easy gliding. Toothless could easily keep a straight flight path as long as the fin was wide open.

Toothless gave an amused sounding growl and tapped Hiccup's leg lightly with his ear, as if to say "as if I would be otherwise" It had been this way for a while now. Hiccup was sure Toothless could understand him. Every single word. And though he couldn't himself speak, he responded to most of what Hiccup said. They could actually carry on limited conversations. The admiration of his peers was nice and all, but frankly Hiccup found them to be an annoyance. They were only concerned with his abilities in the ring, how he could overpower dragons without use of weapons. At one time he had wished to be noticed by them in a positive way. But now, with them dogging his every step, he only wished that he had his anonymity back. Well maybe he could do without all the disasters that occurred, but then most of those had been a result of his wish to be noticed. There was the cove below. This was the tricky part of course. Toothless angled his wings downward and began to lose altitude.

All in all it wasn't a terrible landing. Toothless managed to stay on his feet and Hiccup managed to land on his feet after flying forward over Toothless' head. With a glance at the moon Hiccup found that it was later than he had first thought.

"Hey bud do you mind if I sleep here with you? I so don't want to walk home at this time of night." With a happy gurgle Toothless tackled Hiccup and licked his face. "Ok! Ok! I'm glad your so happy about the idea! But you should let me take off that saddle if you want a good nights sleep." With a snort Toothless allowed Hiccup to sit up. The night made Hiccup a little clumsy but the saddle eventually came off. The tailfin stayed in place and locked in a closed position. Leaving it there helped Toothless to balance on the ground properly.

Hiccup had hardly finished stashing the saddle under a bush before Toothless tackled him again. Before Hiccup could so much as grunt, he'd been wrapped in a tight cocoon of scaly legs and wings. Well. At the very least he wouldn't be getting cold any time soon. And anyway for some reason is was extremely pleasant to lie here in Toothless' reptilian embrace.

"Night bud." Toothless' purrs sent him drifting into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Ok so here's chapter 2. It should be longer by popular request, and we are now officially diverging from the movie! So please review whether it sucks or is full of awesomeness YOU people need to tell me. As usual I don't own anything and Toothcup haters should probably not read this story. Onward!

Chapter 2

When Hiccup woke the next morning he was somewhat disoriented. He was the most comfortable he had been in ages. He felt utterly relaxed, as if all the tension of his body had been completely removed. He was warm, and he could not imagine a place he would rather be. And yet, he was not in his bed. There was no house surrounding him, only flesh. He felt as if he had not a care in the world. Toothless' loud windy breathing whistled behind him. There was no reason whatsoever to leave this cocoon of peace. Except… Ahh… now that was a problem. He had training today. No this was the final session. It would be determined today whether or not the retched Viking community was going to try to force him into killing a dragon. Well if he was going to get back to the village in time he would have to disturb a sleeping dragon.

"Toothless. Toothless wake up. Common bud up and at 'em." The scaly flesh enfolding him constricted and he was crushed while Toothless grumbled a negative.

"Please bud? They're gonna come looking for me if I don't get back." Toothless' snarls evident as he reluctantly weakened his hold on Hiccup. "I'll be back in a few hours Toothless, don't worry."

Toothless nuzzled his riders face as Hiccup started for the small break in the rocks. See you in a little bit.

XXX

This was such an annoyance. At the very least his father still hadn't returned. He didn't think the dragon could have killed him, nothing could kill that man. He was most likely on his way back now. The gronkle he was supposed to be fighting was circling the ring looking for him and Astrid. This was such a waste of time. Why had he let his father throw him into this? He watched as Astrid made a swing at the gronkle. The dragon dodged and fired a bolt back at her but she got her shield up in time. She was blown backwards by the force of the explosion. The gronkle was closing in now to neutralize the threat. Just before it's jaws closed around Astrid's head, Hiccup threw his helmet at the gronkle. It didn't cause the dragon any injury of course, but it distracted it. The gronkle turned and flew toward Hiccup.

"Damn it." Hiccup swiftly stepped to the side and made a stroking gesture under the dragons chin. It collapsed in a heap, utterly relaxed.

Astrid started cursing and swearing under her breath. She seemed greatly distressed. Hopefully he could make it back out into the woods without to much trouble. Just as he was about to exit the ring, Gobber's hook caught his shirt from behind. Damn. The elder was standing at the edge of the pit, leaning on her twisted and gnarled staff. Gobber gestured to Astrid with his hook. The elder shook her wizened old head. Double damn. Well Hiccup knew what was coming next. Gobber's hook shifted slowly over to hover above Hiccup's head. And with a short and deliberate nod, the elder condemned him to face off against an enemy that was not truly an enemy. Great.

"Are we done?" Hiccup let a little of his annoyance color his tone. Astrid turned to Hiccup, seething with rage.

"What exactly is it that is so important that it would overshadow your victory over ME!" Astrid looked a little deranged now and she brandished her ax.

"My victory over you? It's not exactly by my choice that I'm here Astrid. If it were up to me YOU would be fighting a dragon tomorrow." With that Hiccup turned and strode from the ring.

XXX

That little beastly punk! Not only did he best me, he acted as if he didn't give two fish heads whether he won or lost! He had humiliated her! In front of the entire village! What was he doing that was so much more important! She would find out. And then she would kick the stuffing out of him, what little he had anyway. There he was! Disappearing into the forest like a bat out of hell. Astrid slung her ax over her back, and followed Hiccup into the lengthening shadows.

XXX

He was almost back, the walls of the cove were in sight. With a quick few steps and a couple of hops, he descended into the cove. He could see Toothless lying on the other side of the lake under a tree. He was about to call out, when a pebble came bouncing down through the access path to the cove and tapped him sharply on the head. He whirled around to see a flash of blond hair disappearing over the lip of the cliff. Triple damn. That girl caused him no end of problems.

"Astrid are you obsessed with me or something? First you flip out about my overpowering that gronkle and now you're stalking me. The way I see it things can only get worse." Hiccup stepped up onto ground level. "Astrid I know you're here just come out!" The teenage Viking stepped from behind a large tree. She looked angry. Thank the gods he had stopped by the house to pick up his sketch book.

"I want to know what you do out here! Your always sneaking off into the forest! Why!"

Hiccup proceeded to brandish his pad. "You of course wouldn't know, but I happen to be an artist by hobby! Now please leave me in peace!"

Astrid was taken aback. She figured his disappearances had to be related to his impossible skill in the arena. If he was just drawing little pictures out here then what how the hell was he besting her? Silently she turned and started running back to the village. Hiccup sighed, turned, and descended into the cove.


	3. Chapter 3

Ok so I took a little more time on this chapter because of it's importance. Reviews! I need them! And I know you're out there, all of you who've subscribed and faved, but while that makes me feel good, I need me some feedback! Chapter 4 shall be longer, I hope. Anyway I still don't own anything and this is still a Toothcup so I shall laugh at any and all flamerz. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Hiccup was in a state of shock. Not only had he been followed, by Astrid no less, but he had actually reacted to her with anger with outward anger of his own! Hiccup had never responded to anyone with anger in his living memory. He preferred to make light of all situations and reply with varying degrees of sarcasm. That was how he dealt with the Vikings. But that… that had been an actual confrontation. He replayed the memory of the encounter in his head as he landed on the spongy moss covered floor of the cove.

The sun was just passing beyond it's zenith and the light sparkled off of the lake's surface. Toothless was out of sight, much to Hiccup's relief. If Astrid had seen him, god's he still didn't even want to think about it. But just as that unpleasant thought had crossed his mind, he was struck from behind by something big. He ended up with his face pressed into the moss and his lungs slightly compressed under the weight of one of Toothless' large forepaws.

"Mmph!" Hiccup tried to speak through his mouthful of moss. "Oothless! …Et …off!"

Toothless responded with an amiable rumble and removed himself from his rider's small body. Hiccup got to his feet still feeling slightly dazed, but as soon as he was standing he was nearly bowled over again as Toothless thrust his head against different points on his body sniffing thoroughly.

"What's wrong bud? Do I smell weird?" The glance that the dragon gave him clearly questioned Hiccup about the happenings leading up to his return. Hiccup promptly launched into a narrative of his somewhat less than satisfactory day, while his hand stroked lightly along Toothless' shoulder, calming him. Toothless seemed a bit more overly concerned of late. Whenever Hiccup returned to him he always made an inspection with his nose, prodding and sniffing, and crooning every time he found a bruise or scrape. This behavior didn't mush concern Hiccup, it felt rather nice to know that his friend cared so much for his well being. When Hiccup reached the part of his story that concerned Astrid, Toothless let out a rumble that was almost akin to a growl.

"Hey whoa there bud. Let's not go antagonizing the village by devouring annoying teens." And as he thought about it Hiccup realized that Astrid had become just that to him. An annoyance. No longer did he fawn or stare at her but tried to put as much distance between himself and her as possible. He actually found her truly distasteful. Which brought him back to what he originally had been thinking about. Since when did he, Hiccup the talking fishbone, have to spine to stand up to, and even yell at, Astrid Hofferson? The very idea seemed absurd, yet he had done it. The anger he had felt at the time had boiled to the surface quickly, and then disappeared just as quickly afterwards. Then there were his problems for the morrow when he would have to face off against a Monstrous Nightmare. That was going to be just great. The Vikings wanted him to kill a dragon. He could not kill a dragon. That was going to be interesting.

During his musings Hiccup's hand had involuntarily begun to scratch Toothless' thick scaly neck. The surface was smooth, yet ridged where one scale ended and another began. Toothless was leaning into the contact letting out long drawn out purrs of content.

"Common bud. Let's ride." Toothless let out a soft jubilant screech and lept for the bush where the flying gear lay hidden. Hiccup was hardpressed to keep up with him but he managed to retrieve the gear from beneath the bush, strap it to Toothless' back and mount up before the dragon got too impatient. Hiccup had barely managed to secure his safety line, before his powerful friend lept almost vertically, and began to pump his wings to achieve height. Looking over his shoulder, Hiccup watched as the cove began to shrink away beneath him, and the air rushing past his head deafened him.

Toothless tapped on Hiccup's hand with his ear, and gestured with his head to the side where a great stone arch rose from the depths of the ocean. Hiccup obeyed his dragon, and flicked his heel to open the tailfin wider, and leaned to the side as Toothless began a long, slow, banking turn. Hiccup glanced over his shoulder for a look at the tail fin. It seemed to be secure, and responded smoothly to his movements with the stirrup. The view beyond the tail distracted the boy. They were up so high, he could see mile after mile of Berk's forest, dotted here and there by clearings and bodies of water. The view was so amazing that Hiccup did not notice the rock column that they were flying straight for. Toothless gave a warning snarl, but though he caught Hiccup's attention, the boy was not fast enough to adjust the tail for a bank away from the stone. They collided with it and Toothless gave a whine of growl of pain and distress.

"Sorry! Sorry bud are you ok?" Toothless merely gave another cry as a second stone column came hurtling at them. Hiccup flicked his heel again and Toothless rolled to the left to avoid the obstacle. While this maneuver evaded the stone, it also showed that the leather that made up Hiccup's safety line, was not strong enough. As the pair flipped upside down there was a snap, and Hiccup felt himself tumbling in empty space.

XXX

Toothless

Hiccup was getting better. He had changed the fin to the perfect width to allow for the role. But in the split second they were upside down, Toothless felt a sudden release of tension in the saddle. Looking above him he saw Hiccup plummeting toward earth, a puzzled look on his face. The sight terrified Toothless. His human. His Hiccup, spiraling toward the ocean. He would not allow it. Toothless angled his wings and proceeded to dive straight downward. The boy still had that puzzled look on his face. Of course the boy wasn't thinking about his impending demise. He was wondering why his line had snapped. Toothless had to stop him. His death would be intolerable! As the slight, skinny figure of his human got closer and closer, Toothless began to open his wings just a tiny bit of a minute degree. The resistance it offered immediately began to slow him. Just a little closer, just a little more… There! With his teeth retracted the dragon caught hold of his rider's leg. Hiccup's puzzled expression seemed to clear, and he reached around Toothless' head for the strap of his saddle.

XXX

Hiccup

How disorienting. One moment he had been trying to figure out why his line had snapped, and the next his leg was engulfed in a soft squishy hold. Toothless had caught hold of him. Hiccup remembered in that moment that they were extremely high in the air. He reached around Toothless' head and grabbed the strap of the saddle, and with all his strength, pulled himself around and back into riding position. The line was useless now but Hiccup had just been surprised by the flip before. He would fall so long as he was paying attention. Then he realized that the tailfin was in the wrong position for Toothless to climb, and the ocean was coming up fast! He immiedietly adjusted and the pair began to pull out of the dive. Hiccup could feel gravity pulling at his grip on Toothless but he managed to hold on.

Unfortunately they were now flying with great speed straight for a tangled mess of rock in the fog. Things seemed to slow down for Hiccup. He calmly flicked his heel and they dodged an oncoming stone. With another flick they drifted to the right and over another. With a third flick, they flipped to squeeze through an opening barely big enough for the two of them. Hiccup could feel his heart beat pulsing through his veins. And there was something peculiar that he had noticed the second he had seen the obstacles before him. He could feel Toothless' heart pulsing beneath him. And as they had neared the stones, his heartbeat had slowed, and matched with the dragon's. He could no longer distinguish between his heartbeat and Toothless'. They were in perfect harmony in this moment. And with there triumph over the puzzle of flight, Hiccup and Toothless let out a joyful cry in perfect synchronicity.

XXX

Toothless

Wow. Flight. For hundred of years he had roamed the skies, a master of all life, and death. Yet he had taken flight for granted. The sky was his home. He could always return there and let his cares fall away to earth. And yet, he had not realized how very much he loved flight. And now, he shared his joy with another. The small human on his back felt as he did about the sky, he was certain of it. He had no idea how, but he could feel Hiccup's joy radiate through him like the heat of the sun. Now he was holding a mass of fish in his claws, and Hiccup was piloting them toward a large outcropping of rock on the cliffs, where we could feast and celebrate.

How very strange it was. A mere matter of days before, and he would have been happy to devour the small boy. Now the very thought of harm coming to him sent a stone dropping into his stomach. It was a strange sensation. A sense of protectiveness that he had not felt since… he stiffened. His human, observant as he was, noticed immediately.

"What is it bud? What's wrong?" Nothing was wrong of course. But that thought had made Toothless freeze. He had not felt so very protective of another living creature, since he had tried to court Star Sail, a female Night Fury, far in the north. For the brief time that she acknowledged his advances, he had felt as if he would rip anything living that came within fifty feet of her to shreds. And now, he felt exactly the same way about Hiccup. HIS Hiccup. That's how he thought of the boy. This would require some thought. Toothless touched down on the rock outcropping, just as the sun touched the horizon.


	4. Chapter 4

Alright so FF is telling me that this story is actually being read. That's pretty awesome. I know these chapters are short but on the bright side that means faster updates! Now I'll warn you now that I'm taking this story in a direction that few before me have taken, so we'll just see what you guys think. Review! Because you're nice.

Chapter 4

Astrid

An artist. That was one she hadn't heard before. And not just an artist, but one that suddenly seemed to have grown a spine. How was it that Hiccup had become so… resilient. He had demanded, and his voice had been just that, demanding, that she go away, and leave him in peace. She was used to being revered and respected by everyone her own age. Even the adults gave her more heed than any of the other teenagers. She knew of course that she was vain to think it but she knew that she was better than the other teenagers, and even a few adults besides. She put down the knife she had been using to skin the sheep that would be a meal for her and her parents. She called to her mother that the somewhat messy job was done and headed into the house to wash up.

As she rinsed the blood from her hands, she tried to stop thinking about Hiccup. Why was she so very concerned with his behavior? Of course that was a stupid question. She knew why. He was besting her in any fight with any dragon they happened to be facing together. It was like he had power over the reptiles. Not only that, but in the time it took that him to discover these abilities, he had become surly, and he now responded to belittlement with anger, like he never had before. And Astrid new she was concerned about that. It was radically different from the normal, and anything that wasn't normal for a good reason, was dangerous. She finished cleaning her hands and stepped through her door, intending on some dinner.

Hiccup's secret, and she was sure that he had one, would be revealed with time. And perhaps a little help from her observations. She wasn't going to let the little shrimp out of her sight when she saw him next.

XXX

Hiccup

Hiccup realized something. Night was falling, and he wasn't home. His father might be back. Gods it would be awful trying to explain being out in the woods at this hour to him. Sighing heavily Hiccup rose to his feet. Toothless raised his head and objected. The dragon had been feeling full, warm, and happy. And now Hiccup's sudden absence from his side had ruined it.

"I'm sorry bud, but if my dad has returned and I don't get home soon, he just might yell at me till I'm deaf." Toothless lifted himself from the ground, and stepped quickly to Hiccup's side, tilting one side of his back towards the ground, urging Hiccup to get on. "I can walk back by myself Toothless." Toothless snorted and looked at the very dark forest, and then back to Hiccup giving a questioning croon. His meaning was obvious to Hiccup; _You think I'm going to let YOU go in THERE by yourself? _Hiccup sighed again and leaped onto the dragon's back and positioned himself in the saddle. "When did you get so pushy you paternal reptile?" Toothless let out an amused hiss and leapt into the darkening sky.

XXX

Toothless

Sometimes his Hiccup was SO ridiculous. He could see how much Hiccup didn't want to return to the village. Every time he spoke of it a minute flare of pain appeared in the depths of those forest green eyes. Happiness had been a happy cloud surrounding him while Hiccup had lain at his side. Hiccup was always cold to his touch, he didn't like that. Every time Hiccup sat with him, he leaned and pressed against the small boy, in an effort to transmit every bit of his extra heat to his rider. Now he was in a foul mood. The wretched boy had thought he would be walking home by himself. HA!

As usual it felt infinitely better to be airborne. There were no vicious lupine creatures here intent on his Hiccup's death. Here they were free to let the peace of the night envelop them. They were invisible, invincible! All to soon the lights of the village came into view, and Hiccup's shifting of his tail forced him to dive. He was careful to keep the small flaps that ran along the sides of his body closed, to prevent them from producing their usual high pitched scream, as they vibrated in the rushing wind. Their landing was even more graceful than last time. Hiccup managed to actually stay on his back! They were getting better no doubt about it.

Hiccup leaped from the saddle and turned to him. He shoved his nose right up against his human's torso, inhaling deeply and letting out a mournful croon. He couldn't stay with his Hiccup. He knew that.

"It's ok Toothless." Now the boy was trying to console him. "Before you know it, it will be morning, and I will be out there with you. I want you to take good care of yourself while I'm gone." He snorted. Only his Hiccup would be so compassionate that he was more concerned with the safety of a reptile, weighing far more than twice his own weight, that could breath fire. "Hey I don't care what you say. I will be concerned about you so long as we live on an island of dragon slaying Vikings." And then he was gripped by an odd urge. An odd, and completely over powering urge. Without a second thought, he brought his head up until it was level with Hiccup's, and gave a tiny, light, and altogether loving, lick, to the sensitive spot just between his jaw, and his neck. He felt the boy shiver slightly, then Hiccup turned and strode toward his house sending a soft "Good night." winging back to the dragon. He stood there for a long while, at the edge of the forest. Then he turned and melded into the shadows of the night.

XXX

Hiccup

He felt elated. He didn't even know why but he felt as if he were still flying. The spot under his chin tingled, where it had come into such brief contact with Toothless' tongue. That had felt amazing. The house had no light of fire from the first floor, so he was almost sure that his father still was not home. Upon stepping into the house, he wished for a moment that someone was here. The place was so cold and dark. He found himself yerning for that spot, in the cove. A bed of ash, and a Night Fury enveloping him, in warmth and love. He touched the still tingling spot underneath his jaw. Toothless had licked him often enough before, but this time, it had seemed far more… intimate. It had had feeling behind it. And he found himself craving that intimacy. He realized as he climbed the stairs to his room, that he would do anything to have Toothless here by his side. Right this instant. How very strange.

Hiccup shook his head. He was probably just a bit confused by the lateness of the hour. He'd try to sort out his feelings in the morning. And with that final thought, the young human collapsed into his bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Check it out. Chapter five. Twice as long as all those before it. A warning. Stuff's about to go down. So buckle up, and make sure your keyboard is in the fully upright position. Here we go!

Chapter 5

Hiccup

The cove was full of light. All around him the rays of the sun fell lightly on the ground, warming it. They danced on the water of the lake, and glistened as they touched the scales of his companion's body. He sat with his back against Toothless, soaking up the warmth of both the dragon's body and the sun above. All was peaceful, and he was happy. Toothless was thrumming beneath him, and he knew that his friend was happy. All was peace. Then Toothless lifted his head from his paws, and brought it around close to his. He reached up with his hand, and ran it along the soft scales of his friend's eye ridge. Toothless' thrumming intensified, and deepened. And then the dragon brought his head down and nuzzled the skin between his neck and shoulder. The feeling that leapt down his spine was, strange. It jumped and danced and touched each of his limbs on it's way down. He shivered. Then Toothless purred, and licked that same exact spot beneath his chin, that spot between his jaw, and his neck. Warmth flooded his body and he let out an involuntary sigh. He had felt a different sort of feeling with that touch. He had actually felt the affection in his friends caress, and he loved it. He found himself wanting more, craving it like air. This was so very strange. He was about to turn to Toothless and ask him what he had meant by that touch, when there was a crash, and a yell in the distance. Then he say bolt upright, and found himself not in the cove, and not against Toothless, but at home, in his bed.

More shouts and yells could be heard in the distance. He had not removed his clothes for sleep so he bolted straight for the door. He took the stair three at a time to the ground floor while more crashing and a scream sound from outside. It didn't take him more than three seconds to hit the front door. He tried to push it open, but found it blocked. The door only opened a few inches before some heavy fallen object halted it's progress. Suddenly the entire room felt close. Far too small. He needed the sky. Ignoring the back door, he leaped back up the stairs four at a time, a feat he had never before succeeded in, and reached the second floor in a matter of seconds. Once back in his room he ran for the window and through the skins that covered it aside. Without a second's pause he vaulted though he uncovered portal. Bring his hands up he clung to the eave of his roof while his legs dangled in empty space. With far less effort than it should have taken, he hauled himself up onto the roof.

From here the entire village was in plain view. It wasn't pretty. Well it was kinda pretty. Fire is pretty. And the acrobatics some of the dragons were executing were also pretty impressive. It was the biggest raid that he had ever witnessed. Then, he felt a shudder pass through the roof beneath his feet. Something large had landed behind him. The large reptile then stepped to his side. He turned and smiled.

XXX

Astrid

It was as if the hells had all broken apart and unleashed every demon in existence down upon Berk. She herself had left the other teenagers to fire control while she joined in the actual battle. To it didn't help that about half of the village had gone out on that nest hunt. For every dragon she slew, there were at least five more to take it's place. All was chaos. She had stopped thinking about things like where she was and if she had injuries. Those could be dealt with after every single abomination in the sky was dead.

Eventually every weapon she owned had been rendered useless by intense combat. This necessitated figuring out where she was so that she could get to the smithy stall. Upon reaching it she was surprised to find Gobber within. In a battle against these numbers he would usually be out in the field. But then she saw why Gobber was working instead of fighting, he lacked an assistant to take over. Hiccup was nowhere inside the forge.

"Gobber! Where's Hiccup! Why isn't he here?"

"Haven' the foggiest! Haven' seen 'im since yesterday!" Gobber shouted over the clamor. Astrid left her ax and spear with the large man to be mended. By the looks of it they wouldn't be done for a while. Gobber's workflow had piled high without Hiccup to help him, and all of the reserve weapons were gone, presumably in active use. She turned and, picking up a piece of fallen timber from some house, dived back into the fray.

She had no idea how much time passed between when she left the forge, and when she was next brought to terms with her surroundings. She suddenly found herself helping the teenagers with fire control, since her makeshift stake had proved an ineffective weapon. Eventually she realized that she was extinguishing the house right beside Hiccup's. She stared for a brief moment at the chief's house. Where was the little shrimp? He was too dangerous in a raid. The last time he had gotten out he'd completely destroyed the pathways leading down to the docks, as well as a good portion of the docks themselves.

She froze. She'd been gazing at the chief's house, but she had suddenly noticed something on the roof. There standing at the edge was Hiccup. He was gazing all around him, all over the village. He didn't even look concerned. As a matter of fact his face barley registered interest! He looked as if whatever he was observing was about as relevant to his life as a pebble. Then something loomed behind him. She stared in horror as a large shadow detached itself from the sky that was it's backdrop and stood beside Hiccup. It was a dragon she had never seen before. And as she watched, Hiccup turned to look at it, and smiled! He smiled! He looked as if his horrible day had suddenly become a lot less depressing! He looked elated! Then, as if following some unseen signal, both Hiccup, and the demon beside him turned, and walked out of sight, disappearing with a flash of a black tail. Astrid ran between the houses, and caught a glimpse of something disappearing, into the forest.

She could feel her mouth hanging open. It was impossible. Insane! Hiccup had stood there, with an uncaring face as his fellow Vikings had fallen in battle. Then the enemy had appeared right beside him, and he didn't even have the decency to look frightened, or even wary! He had smiled and gone with it away, into darkness. He was a traitor. These thoughts were still whizzing and pounding inside of her head as she helped her fellows to rebuild their village. This raid was worse than all that had come before. There were barely any sheep left. The streets had been littered with bodies that needed to be carried back to there families, that the proper burial rites could begin. Most of the day was gone before anyone could even give a thought towards resuming any normal activity. And Hiccup was not seen for the entire day.

She had not told anyone about what she saw. She did not know whom she could trust. She knew that everyone were still far to punch drunk to deal with this properly. She would wait to tell the adults until the village was back on it's feet. She decided then, as she walked slowly toward the mead hall, that she would tell her comrades of her own age. They, could be controlled. She thought of them as her troops, as for some reason they seemed to have oriented their lives around her. She shouldered her way past the heavy oaken doors.

As she approached the table where her cohorts were sitting, she paused. What did she truly know about the situation? Not enough. She only had an observation of a scene, which could mean one thing, or something else. Heck for all she knew it could have been a delusion caused by the stress and heat of battle. She needed to find out more for herself. And to do that, she would have to hunt Hiccup down herself, and find out exactly what was going on with him. Executing a swift about-face she turned and shouldered her way back through the door. Her knewly repaired ax was at her back, and both daggers were secure in her belt. She made a beeline for the forest, and disappeared into the trees.

XXX

Toothless

He didn't know how he had known it. But he did. Hiccup was in the vicinity of danger. It took all of his best efforts and a good measure of desperation to get out of the cove without flight, but he had managed it. And he had run without pause for breath or thought, straight to the village. He had identified his Hiccup's dwelling by scent. Above him dragons of all kinds dived and swooped all over the skies, setting dwellings on fire where ever they perceived a threat. Toothless shook his head. He now saw how very unnecessary it was. He could care less what the queen thought. He wished he could tell Hiccup about her, but that conversation was just too complex for looks and nudges. Then a motion from the side of Hiccup's house. Something small came flying out of the window. It grabbed hold of the roof's eave and leaped onto the roof. The figure then was silhouetted against the orange tinted smoke behind it. That settled things; it was his Hiccup standing up there on the roof looking down over the carnage. With one powerful jump he was standing on the roof as well. And with a few strides he was at his rider's side. For a moment they both stood there, observing the chaos, before Hiccup turned and smiled at him. That smile made his heart melt. Hiccup knew what he was thinking of course and they both turned at the same time to walk to the back of the roof. His boy climbed onto his back and he leapt. With one bound he was at the tree line, and with another they had left the village behind, racing through the shadows. Soon the sight of the fires was just a memory reflected in an orange glow radiating from the smoke above the village.

That day was one of the happiest he could remember. And he could tell that his Hiccup was happy as well, which served to add to his joy. They napped in the cove until the sun rose and then flew with the wind, moving in perfect harmony, as they twisted, spun, dived, and climbed through the air. They were masters of the sky and they basked in the glow of the sun and the cool caress of the breeze. They fished when hungry and finally stopped to once again watch the time pass by in the clouds above. He lifted his head from where it had rested on his paws to look at his boy. He loved him. It was clear as the day above. He knew that for reasons beyond his reckoning, he had chosen this small human boy, as his life partner, his mate. The thought made a thrum resonate though his body. He nuzzled his Hiccup's skin, right between the shoulder and neck, where he knew was most sensitive. He felt his boy shiver and looked up at him with surprise in his face. And he was not able to deduce what the boy was thinking. He seemed a bit confused, but he reached up with his hand to brush lightly along the smooth scales of his eye ridge. A feeling of utter contentment swept through him, and licked that same spot beneath his riders chin. Hiccup's eyes widened and the corner of his mouth began to twitch upwards.

"This is going to sound weird, and completely beyond the limits of my sanity," the boy whispered, "but I think I love you Toothless." He let out the loudest purr he had ever made, and reached around with his fore leg, wrapping his Hiccup in a scaly embrace. They stared for a long while into each others eyes, completely lost to the world, swept up in their flood of emotion.

Then the moment was broken by the snap of a twig, and the sudden appearance of that annoying female Viking. She leaped from behind a stone yelling;

"Hiccup! Move!" Then she threw her ax with all the force she could muster straight towards the dragon's neck. Hiccup gave a strangled cry and leapt to his feet.

There was a squelching crunch.

A grunt.

And a thud.

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	6. Chapter 6

Alrighty then. Here it is one o clock in the morning and I think I'd better update before your discontent with my cliffhanger has a chance to cause me personal injury. I know that many of you yearn for longer chapters and believe me I do as well, but I'm afraid that right now the story is in control of me instead of vice versa. Here is where my story begins to move away from the generally written Toothcups. Chapter 6. Coepio.

Chapter 6

Astrid

At the moment she reached the tree line behind the chief's dwelling she saw them. In a path of soft loam was the imprint of a large paw unlike anything she had previously observed. That black dragon she thought she had seen last night, she had never seen that before either. Then she recalled Hiccup's words, so long ago they seemed, after the last raid had taken place;

"_Ok but I hit a Night Fury." _Could it really be possible? Had Hiccup seriously managed to bring down the elusive and destructive offspring of lightning and Death itself? No one had believed him. Of course they didn't, who would? But, around that exact same time, Hiccup had started disappearing during the day. And! She gasped. He had also started to dramatically improve in his performance during dragon training a little after that! What was he doing? Studying it? How grotesque.

No. She had seen it last night standing free and easy beside him. She saw no human tracks beside those of the dragon. Perhaps it was the other way around! Perhaps the dragon had captured HIM! Perhaps it had some form of mind control or something! There were a couple of species in the dragon manual which had command of limited hypnosis, but something of this magnitude? To lord over a human mind so completely, that it obeyed and followed at a single glance? She shuddered. That would require the demons to posses far more intelligence than she was comfortable with considering.

Just standing here speculating was not going to get her anywhere. She eyed the tracks. They seemed to be heading in a generally westward direction, toward Raven Point. She started. Raven Point had been where Hiccup had claimed the Night Fury had gone down! She began a brisk westwardly jog through the forest. Occasionally she spotted signs of swift travel by something large, scraped tree bark, half flattened shrubs, and broken branches. Every time she saw such a sign she adjusted her heading so that she continued to stay on the trail.

Eventually however, the signs became more difficult to follow. It seemed that the beast she was tracking had slowed down and as such, it left far less indication of it's passing, in fact, it weren't for the one or two crushed bits of grass in the shape of the dragon's paw, she would have thought she lost it. Then she noticed something. She knew this part of the forest. Just a few days previous she had been here, letting off some steam by using a tree as target practice for her ax. She could see the tree from where she was standing. Wait.

Hiccup had been here as well. She had seen him disappear with some kind of bundeled leather object. Then she'd been here for a second time! She now realized that she had passed this very same clearing while she was following Hiccup just yesterday! She now began to move slowly, silently, absorbing her step's impact through her knees and the balls of her feet. There was that drop! He had disappeared there and told her to leave! Why had she listened? Probably just the shock from having Hiccup talk back to her. Now she wasn't going to leave without answers. This time she would not make any stupid mistakes that would give her away. She got down on her stomach, and inched slowly to the edge of what appeared to be a massive depression in the ground. And as she peeked over the edge, her first thought was how very pretty the place was. The walls were all made up of smooth gray stone, the floor was covered in spongy looking moss and grasses with large boulders occasionally interrupting the tones of green, and covering most of it was a large deep blue lake that played the light of the sun so that it sparkled like a rare jewel. She was just starting to smile, when she saw the dark mass lying in the middle of a patch of blacked moss. And against that mass, lay Hiccup. She couldn't see anything in detail from this distance, she would have to get closer. Those boulders would provide admirable cover. From the looks of it, Hiccup was unconscious.

She did not sacrifice stealth for speed. She took as long as was necessary. Neither Hiccup, nor the reptile had made any kind of mood since she had gotten there. It had taken her about twenty minutes to creep silently down the chasm that Hiccup had disappeared into the day before. And now that she was finally at the bottom and inside the grotto itself, she moved even more slowly. The beast seemed to be asleep, and Hiccup was still unconscious, so she moved from boulder, to boulder, very slowly making her way towards the black mass of scales. And then she was within throwing distance. The dragon was a mere ten paces away. She could feel her heart hammering. As a matter of fact she was a little surprised that it didn't wake the beast, but then no one knew how good a Night Fury's hearing was.

Then as she watched, she froze. The dragon had opened it's eyes, and lifted it's head. At the movement Hiccup eyes flickered open. She hadn't seen it from up on the cliff, but she now observed that he had a sedate smile plastered on his face. It was a little creepy. Then as she watched the dragon leaned down, and rubbed it's head into the space between Hiccup's shoulder and neck. She could see how very close Hiccup's head was to the things mouth, but he didn't flinch. Then the dragon licked the boy beneath the chin. And Hiccup did not appear frightened, or disgusted. His smile widened and he stared up into the dragon's eyes. That settled it. The boy had to be under some form of spell or control. No human being would ever submit to being touched like that by that, thing! And now he did nothing but gazed smiling up into the dragon's twin orbs of emerald fire. She was distracted momentarily by the look of the brute. It was truly awful to behold. It's head was vaguely spade shaped, with the back of it's head separating into four point, two of which had to be ears. And she could see that the legs, while a bit short and stubby, were packed with strength. The wings were folded behind it but from the look of them they would reach a frightful span when unfolded. The tail was long and sinuous. It also held strength. All in all, this dragon would be a horribly formidable adversary in close combat. A ranged strike was her only chance. Hiccup was a little close but if she called out as she threw, she might be able to get him to move. Even if he didn't her aim was very, very good.

Steeling her nerves, Astrid took a deep breath, and jumped from behind the boulder yelling as she did, "Hiccup! Move!" As soon as she had two feet planted on the ground she pulled back with the ax that she had brought from her back during the jump, and threw it with all her might, that it might embed itself in the beasts neck. To her pleasure Hiccup obeyed her instruction and started to his feet at her cry. Her shot was true she could tell. The dragon was too relaxed to react quickly enough. The blade would bury itself in the beast's scaly neck.

Then the unthinkable occurred. Hiccup moved, not away from the dragon and the airborn ax, but in between the two spreading his arms wide. In that brief, tiny millisecond of time, as the boy stood with his arms outstretched, his eyes locked with hers and she saw hatred in them. The boy looked like he would happily rip her throat out and crush it in his fist. Then the ax buried itself in flesh, not scale crusted flesh as it was intended, but into the inside of Hiccup's right shoulder, just where his arm met his body, she heard his bone splinter and fragment as the ax forced it's way through the living tissue. The dragon's eyes, behind Hiccup, widened and it let out a horrible, howling screech of what sounded like pain. Hiccup grunted and toppled to the ground on his back, the handle of the ax protruding into the air from his unconscious body.

XXX

Hiccup

There was no choice. He had simply acted. He would not allow Toothless to come to harm. His body responded automatically. Using itself as a shield to protect his friend. Now more than that, his love. He didn't feel the bite of steel in his shoulder, only the heavy impact that drove him backwards. And as he fell, he felt pressure begin to build inside his skull. It was as if every headache he had ever endured were rushing into head. It was becoming painful now and he knew that he was still falling toward the ground. It felt as if his skull were about to crack open and spill his brain across the ground. And as he hit the ground full on his back, he felt the pressure disappear, as if it had been released all at once. And with the pressure's disappearance, came the sound of a voice. One that he had never heard before, yet still sounded as familiar to him as the back of his hand. It was rich and tenor, with an undertone that could almost have been a growl. And it was shouting.

"Hiccup! Hiccup! Dammit you bitch! I'll kill you! I'll kill you where you stand!" Wait! Hadn't he just taken an ax to keep someone from conflict? Who was shouting? Couldn't they just incapacitate Astrid or something? And with that thought, the shouting and cursing ceased. There was silence. And then

"Hiccup? Is that you?" Hiccup couldn't find the strength to speak, or even open his eyes. He thought; Of course it's me. Who else would it be? And why was that voice talking to him when he wasn't talking to it? Then his strength gave out, and he fell into darkness.

XXX

Toothless

True horror filled his heart as he watched Hiccup begin to fall backwards. He wished so desperately now for the ability to speak, but then, Hiccup impacted that ground. Horrible excruciating pain lanced through his right shoulder. It felt as if he had taken that ax! He howled his pain and rage to the sky and cursed in his mind as he prepared himself to destroy the human hatchling. Then Hiccup's voice had interrupted him. It spoke of trying to prevent conflict, and incapacitating the hatchling rather than killing. He was confused, the boy had not uttered a word. But he obeyed the voice nonetheless. Stepping over Hiccup's body he whipped his hind quarters around toward the small human female, bringing his tail to bear in a devastating blow to the side of her head that sent her spinning, and landing in a jumbled heap on the loam. With that he returned to Hiccup's side. The girl didn't have a chance of regaining consciousness today. Hiccup lay sprawled where he had fallen, the ax still protruding from his arm. With as much delicacy as he could muster, he nudged the ax shaft, until it finally abdicated the wound with a sickening squelch. He nosed at it until it was a fare distance from his rider, and then set it to his flame.

He immediately returned to Hiccup's side and began licking the gash in his shoulder. It was deep. Very deep. Then to his astonishment, he felt the skin around the wound twitch. He brought his head away from the wound and gazed in astonishment. The surface of his Hiccup's flesh was rippling ever so slightly, like the surface of the lake. His sensitive ears picked out small grindings and crunches within his boy's shoulder. Then the blood that had previously been welling out of the wound, began to congeal and turn black. Eventually the entire gash was covered with it. That was when he realized something even stranger. Behind his riders closed eyelids, he could see a green glow. As if his eyes had become luminescent. Eventually the shoulder stopped twitching. And a few minutes after that the glow behind the boys eyelids faded. This, he knew, was not normal human behavior. He didn't want to wake Hiccup. But the wound smelled clean enough, and it now seemed as if he were merely sleeping.

With a snort, he curled himself around Hiccup's body, and raised a wing over him to protect him from the sun. He then set his gaze to the body of the Viking girl. Just in case, she regained consciousness.

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	7. Chapter 7

Ok here goes Chapter 7. I'm definitely thinking of rewriting this, and your feedback to this particular chapter is critical. It will most likely have a lot of lasting effects on the story. Prepare to be bamboozled!

Chapter 7

Hiccup

It was confusing. He didn't really sleep. Sleep was more peaceful than this. But he was still, and he rested. Where was he again? What had happened? Oh yes he had smashed Astrid's head with his tail when she had tried to hurt Toothless. That had been fun. She wouldn't be happy when she woke up. Wait. He didn't have a tail. Did he? Maybe he did. No humans didn't have tails. But he did. Or did he? Was he a human? No he was a dragon. Or maybe he was a human. Toothless! He was a human. No wait. Toothless was a dragon. But then he would have to be a human. Yes Toothless was a dragon. Was he a dragon? Was he Toothless? No! He was Hiccup! Yes! Of course! He was a human! And Toothless was a dragon! Toothless had hit Astrid with his tail! But then… If Toothless had hit Astrid, why did he, Hiccup, remember doing it? Was he Toothless? No. Now things were starting to go in circles. Why was it so dark? Maybe he WAS asleep. In that case he needed to wake up! Slowly, very slowly, he started to open his eyes.

His gaze was met with a black scaled surface. Next he would try to raise his hand. Unfortunately, he never got that far. The second his eyes were fully open, his head exploded in agony. Images began to appear before him, before quickly evaporating to be replaced by new ones. It felt as if he had remembered several thousand things that he had forgotten, all at once. He was soaring above a land made of ice, blanketed in snow, being nuzzled by a huge dark presence that felt like home. He was falling from a very high place, with his wings spread uselessly at his sides. He was spitting fire at an enormous white furred cat. He was being wrapped in tendrils of leather and he could not move. This last image stayed and he fell down, down, down, screaming as he went. Then he crashed into the trees and carved a furrow of destruction down the side of a hill, pain lanced upwards through his tail and all went dark again.

Then a voice through the darkness.

"Hiccup! Hiccup are you all right? Hiccup say something! Your awake I know you are! Answer me dammit!" With a Herculean effort he tried to lift his eye lids for a second time. The pain was starting to fade a bit from his head. Unfortunately this only allowed him to become aware of another pain. A burning pain. It felt as if someone was shoving a red hot poker into his shoulder. The heat was awful. Then his eyes finally obeyed his will, and opened. Instead of that dark scaly surface, he was faced with a large scaly face, with eyes of a very light green, and a look of concern so deep that it frightened him. Then he finally managed to unlock his jaw, and mutter a few words.

"Wha… Happen…" He took a deep breath and swallowed. His throat felt like it had been vigorously scrubbed with a sanding file. "Toothless? Are you ok?" The look in his friend's eyes was close to panic. Suddenly a voice reverberated through his confusing slew of memories;

"Am I ok! You are the most absurd creature I have ever met! I just pulled an ax out of your shoulder an hour ago, and you ask me if I'M ok!" Great. Now he was hearing voices. This was just great. Maybe he had hit his head on the way down. "You did actually. I was reacted too slowly to catch you. I did deal a pretty good whallop to that bitch over there though." As these words popped into his head, Toothless' eyes darted to the side and his mouth contorted slightly into a snarl. He turned his head slightly, and his shoulder gave a particularly painful throb. There next to a boulder, he could see the crumpled form of a human. Ahh. So that was why Astrid hadn't made any progress towards killing Toothless. "The more important question is, are YOU ok?"

Gods he hurt. He realized that it wasn't just his shoulder. His entire body hurt. And the pain was fluctuating. Every second the pain seemed to get more intense, and then ebb away. It was like a rhythm, very steady. It felt like a heartbeat. Wait. Every single fluctuation of pain he felt, was in precise time, with his heartbeat. With every contraction of his heart, it felt burning pain shoot all throughout his body. It felt as if there was liquid fire, pulsing through his veins. Every beat inflicted new burns, yet now, as he struggled to sit up, and inspected his hands and arms, he could find no evidence of damage to his flesh. He turned to Toothless, who was staring at him with a strange emotion in his eyes. It looked happy. No more than that it was exuberant.

"What?"

XXX

Toothless

It was one of the most severely disorienting things he had ever experienced. One moment, he had been lying quietly beside Hiccup, waiting for him for him to wake from the unnaturally deep sleep that the wound seemed to have induced, the next moment, he had felt a nudge. Not a physical nudge like something pushing at his skin, but a push against his mind. It was something that he had not experienced in over a hundred winters. He could remember feeling a similar caress against his thoughts when he was only a hatchling. That of course had been his mother. She had touched his mind about a month after he was out of the shell. She had shared things with him that would shape his life. The feel of the air beneath his wings, the smell of the bears that roamed the ice. The important things. They things that he needed to survive. She had shown him her love, beyond any shadow of a doubt. Then only a season after his hatching, his father had cast him from the nest. And had never allowed him near his mother again. When he felt that nudge, that little push against his consciousness, he had become so excited. It was almost like feeling his mother again, and he reacted exactly like he used to. He opened his mind wide and let it flow outwards toward the foreign presence. All of his memories, his thoughts and feelings over all of the time that he was away, he would share them with his mother.

He started with one of his most prominent memories, his very first flight over the ice of his homeland. Then he reverted to his youth, being nuzzled by his mother, after that he moved on, forward through his life. His very first free fall from the high cliffs, then his first encounter with an ice cat. He ended with one of the most important things that had ever happened to him. The restraints of Hiccup's inventions surrounding him, enveloping him, and then his fall to the earth below. It was then that he finally felt a response from the foreign mind.

But it was nothing like his mother's mind. It was small. Weak. And it was only experiencing one thing. Pain. It offered no thoughts or feelings of it's own besides the pain. And the pain stemmed from the memories that he was forcing into it. He withdrew with a start. This was not his mother. But there were no other Night Furies anywhere near here. Who else could it be. Then he caught a single image. A tiny thread of memory from the foreign mind.

It was a memory of falling, falling straight down from a point of safety, to the cold ocean below. Then, a shadow. Far above was a silhouette of wings. Black as night. It slowly became larger, until it appeared as a Night Fury. The mighty jaws opened, and the teeth retracted. Then the jaws clamped down on a leg. A human leg.

This could only be a memory of Hiccup. This was impossible. No other creature of the land or sky could commune in this way. Every hatchling tried of course. As soon as they met a creature different from themselves, they would try to connect with any creature they met. The foreign creatures mind could be sensed, but it never responded. It was like conversing with a stone. It was there, and it could be felt and action could be inflicted on it, but it never responded. Now he felt a new mind. One that was different from any other Night Fury he had previously encountered, yet vaguely similar at the same time. It could only be Hiccup. It had his memory.

But then… That was how he had heard Hiccup without him even opening his mouth. Hiccup had thought, and he had heard. Not only that, Hiccup had responded! The boy had heard him speak!

"Hiccup! Hiccup are you all right? Hiccup say something! Your awake I know you are! Answer me dammit!" He hadn't meant to sound so angry but he was scared. He stared down at Hiccup's face, his eyelids were slowly rising. Soon they were completely open. And then the boy demonstrated his seemingly limitless ability for absurdity.

"Wha… Happen… Toothless? Are you ok?" The wretched child showed no ability whatsoever to care about himself! How dare he! What if the scrawny human had died? Where would that leave HIM? Alone. Alone and left to wander the earth without purpose.

"Am I ok! You are the most absurd creature I have ever met! I just pulled an ax out of your shoulder an hour ago, and you ask me if I'M ok!" Hiccup's thoughts spun. He obviously didn't believe that it was he, Toothless speaking to him. His thoughts turned to speculations about hitting his head.

"You did actually. I was reacted too slowly to catch you. I did deal a pretty good whallop to that bitch over there though." As he said it he felt his lips pull back into a snarl and he looked towards the offending pile of disoriented flesh. Then he looked back at Hiccup. "The more important question is, are YOU ok?" Then he felt it. Hiccup was in pain. Constant thrumming pain. To him it felt like he was being burned, with every pulse of his heart. He himself did not know what it was like to be burned. His scales were completely proof against fire. But now he shared the feeling of burning with his rider. And though he had never knew the feeling of burning before, this sensation felt familiar. He sensed his own heartbeat, so much slower than Hiccup's. Each pulse of blood through his own body was a warming tingle. This was far to strange. Then Hiccup turned away from Astrid and looked at him.

"What?"

"Hiccup. I know you can hear me." he kept his thoughts even, even though he felt so happy that the tips of his wings were twitching. "You can hear me. You shouldn't be able to, but you can. You don't have any mental endurance, so you couldn't block me if you tried, but I still wish to ask your permission. May I have entry to your mind?"

Hiccup's eyes widened. And then the boy fell backwards onto the ground, apparently, unconscious. He let out a sigh. This would be difficult. The sun's light was beginning to fade from the sky and the stars were appearing in the east. Well at the very least this was more comfortable. It had been hard to adjust to Hiccup's life. His human was active during the day. And he slept at night. He had forced himself to adhere to the new and backwards life. Now he was finally awake at the proper time.

There came a muffled cough from the lump of disheveled flesh that was Astrid. He felt his eyes narrow, and he acted quickly. Gently he lifted his human in his mouth, teeth retracted, and leapt for the other side of the cove. The night was his element. He and Hiccup would seem to have vanished.

The human girl groaned and shifted, then froze. She got to her feet, probably in as quiet a manner as she could manage. All the while she was clutching her head and looking around. She probably expected him to leap from the shadows and devour her. She would probably taste awful. All that clothing and leather. Ugh. It took her about a half hour, but she finally found the crevice in the rock and scrambled back to the forest above. He waited until he was certain that she wouldn't be able to see the light, and burned a bed of ash into the ground. He wrapped Hiccup tightly in his legs and wings, and kept watch over the cove, which was now bathed in the silver light of the moon. Hiccup stirred.

He said that he would await Hiccup's permission, but he was just to curious. Slowly, ever so slowly, he reached out towards Hiccup's mind. Dreams were spinning through the boys small mind. He watched the dreams twist and leap, appear and disappear. The boy's mind felt so fragile, so very tiny. He made sure that none of his own thoughts would overflow into Hiccup's mind. He had caused Hiccup great pain today. Hiccup was feeling pain even now. It was a tone that overlaid all of the dreams that spun through his mind. Was that his fault too? He hoped not. Then all of Hiccup's scattered dreams congealed and became a single image. Hiccup was dreaming of him, Toothless. And the things he felt were incredible. It was an affection so intense, it didn't even deserve the name affection. It was love. There was no better description.

He smiled down at his boy, sleeping curled in his embrace. Sorting out all of these feelings when Hiccup woke up was going to be complicated. Not only that, but as he stared down at Hiccup, his feelings intensified. He felt possessive before, but now, he felt as if he would never allow the boy to leave his side. Anyone or anything with ill intentions that came near HIS Hiccup, would suffer death.

Or worse.

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	8. Chapter 8

It was brought to my attention by some of my loyal readers, that due to the sleep deprived state of my brain, I uploaded the wrong version of chapter 8. Those of you who had the misfortune to read that version, I apologize! This chapter kinda wrote itself so I'm not quite sure how it turned out. Your feedback is imperative! Without further ado, the real chapter 8.

Chapter 8

Hiccup

The second waking was a little easier. He knew that he was Hiccup. He knew that he was human. He knew that Toothless was a dragon, and he knew that he was feeling some extremely strange things about said dragon. Unfortunately his knew found clarity of mind did not bring with it an explanation for the pain. It was a very strange feeling. He was being continuously burned from the inside-out. Yet no damage was being done. In fact, as he lay there, eyes closed listening to the heartbeats of both him and Toothless, he found that he quickly acclimatized. The repetition of the pain's fluctuations in time with his heart, allowed his mind to disregard the pain as just another rhythm of his body. Soon he found himself looking to other matters.

He felt extremely comfortable. Far more comfortable than he had been in his bed within his drafty attic room, in fact, far more comfortable than he had ever been. Then, he both heard and felt a feint pulsing rhythm, resonating around him. It came from all sides at once, and it relaxed him. Toothless. He was enveloped within his friend. And there was no place better. He almost stopped caring about what had happened before his long sleep. Unfortunately as soon as he thought about that, it all came back to him.

He had hit his head, seen tons of images while his head felt as if it were on the brink of exploding, then he had started imagining that Toothless was speaking to him. His friend had asked him for permission to enter his mind. Then his memory was dark. He assumed that he had fallen back to sleep. Hopefully his head was in a better condition now.

"Ahh, I was wondering when you would wake up. That was faster than I expected." He froze. That same voice was bouncing around inside his head. The sound of it was beautiful, like music. It was rich and resonating, dark and warm. It was like a memory, but he had never heard someone speak with that voice. And yet it still sounded familiar. "Hiccup you did hit your head, but I doubt it was hard enough to cause you to hallucinate to this extent. It's me. Toothless. I'm right here." He felt Toothless shift around him and he opened his eyes. Then a wing pulled away and two enormous green eyes peered down at him.

"Toothless, if that's really you talking, why are you talking?" Toothless blinked and he felt a chuckle roll through his friends chest.

"I talk very often. The problem of course, is that you humans are too thick skulled to pay me heed." Ok that was a little more confusing an answer than he had hoped for.

"Are you telling me that you have been speaking the entire time I've known you, and I just haven't been able to hear you?"

"Hiccup, did you think I was some dumb beast? Giving my affection blindly in return for care and food? Did you think me a pet? He was horrified. Was that what Toothless thought of him?

"No!" he protested, "I saw the intelligence in your eyes! I could see that you cared! And I cared about you! You were never a pet to me."

"Hiccup, I will ask this of you again. And this time I hope that you will remain conscious." He tensed. "Hiccup will you share your mind with me?"

In a way this made sense. Toothless wasn't moving his mouth or making any noise, the dragon's voice was bouncing around inside his head. So how else could he be communicating except for some form of mental connection? And to what extent was this connection? What did it mean that they had it?

"Was that…" he swallowed, "what made my head hurt so badly before?" The expression on his friends face fell, and became mournful.

"Yes. And it was my fault. I didn't realize that you were the mind I was communing with! I tried to share too much, too fast. I almost killed you. You basically experienced some of the key points in my life before I met you. I'm so very sorry Hiccup. I want to do things right this time."

He lay there and considered for a very long time. By the sounds of it he would be opening his minds, in essence, himself, to be shared with his friend. The thought made him feel even warmer than he already was. They would be closer than anyone else could be.

"Toothless. Please help me understand this. Help me see."

And there, he was suddenly aware of another sense. He could not have put it into words. Surely no one had ever experienced this before. He was aware of his mind. It was as if a wall had fallen away, and now he was free to reach out. He could feel a massive and intimidating presence all around him. Perhaps that was Toothless.

"Hiccup, I will not allow any harm to come to you. Now come forth, close your eyes, and see." He let his eyes slide shut and with his knew sense; he reached out to the larger presence surrounding him… And touched it.

Warmth, shadow, and sound enveloped him. It was as if music had been given a feel, and a look. He watched as filaments of shadow spun, twisted, congealed, stretched and wound around him. They were all the world consisted of. Then he began to know things. He felt Toothless' mind nudge against his, more than once, and with each nudge, came new knowledge. He knew that Night Furies inhabited the ice lands of the far north. He knew that the communicated with each other through direct, mental contact. He knew that humans such as himself, were unable to comprehend this contact. He knew that Toothless had flown south as soon as he was able, to escape the land where his mother had died. And he knew, that his was the first mind that Toothless had touched in this way, for many, many winters. Toothless was feeling a joy far beyond any kind of happiness that he had before experience. For a few more brief seconds, they remained, minds touching, feeling what the other felt.

Then they broke apart, and his eyes opened. He stared up at Toothless in wonder. Toothless stared back with sheer joy. He needed to stand up. To move. To do something. This was far to amazing to keep still. Immediately Toothless began to unwrap himself. How had he known?

_"I'm sorry Hiccup but you're like a hatchling." _He felt rather annoyed at that. He was sixteen after all. _"I mean that your mind is very new to this. You're broadcasting most of what you think for anyone to hear who can. You wanted to get up, and I heard you thinking so." _He placed an arm on the ashy ground to lift himself up. Now that Toothless wasn't obscuring his view, he could see the moonlight raining down on the cove.

That was when he was reminded of his shoulder. As he placed pressure on it a dull ache hit his shoulder. Looking down, he saw that the material of his tunic was cleanly split around the ax wound. The wound itself was crusted over with dry blood. Odd. Astrid's throw should have nearly chopped his arm completely off. Yet he was barely impeded by the wound. He rolled his shoulder around a bit. It was a little achy but that was about it. That wasn't natural.

"Toothless. How long was I asleep?"

_"You slept for about one half of your hours." _

"Do you have anything to do with my shoulder's healing with no medical treatment of any kind?"

_"No. I cleaned the wound as best I could but I'm no miracle worker." _Great. So his shoulder was now miraculously healed, and only the gods knew why. Lovely. Suddenly he looked rapidly around.

"Where's Astrid?" Toothless was now getting to his feet, stretching as he went.

_"She left just a little after you fell asleep" _It would take her at least an hour to reach the village. She was probably only half way there. If he were in the village when she got back, it was discredit any wild stories of dragons and devils that she had to tell. Toothless must remain secret! If the Vikings caught even a hint of this his dragon would be in horrible danger! He was grounded without Hiccup. A downed dragon, is a dead dragon.

Toothless heaved a huge sigh behind him. _"Very well if we must then we must. Come on." _Toothless beckoned with his head. Hiccup ran to him and gave him a huge hug around the neck, before lifting himself into the saddle.

XXX

Astrid

Half way. She had to be half way at the very least. Hiccup. He had leapt in front of her ax. She had thrown an instrument of death straight into him. She had to tell the village. A Night Fury was nesting nearby. How else could Hiccup have known where to find it day after day? They would come out in force. The entire village would hunt this one dragon to it's death. And then Hiccup would be free. She could still feel her skin crawl as she remembered it's large forked tongue caressing the inside of Hiccup's jaw. The thing would die. One thing nagged at her though. Why hadn't the beast killed her? She had seen murder in it's eyes when the ax had found Hiccup's shoulder. Then, it had paused, glanced back at Hiccup, and brought it's tail around instead for a nonlethal blow to the head. It had happened so quickly that she could not have prepared for it. It connected solidly with her skull. Now she had a goosegg on the side of her head, and she didn't feel too happy about it. No matter. It didn't change her action. She continued at a brisk pace toward the village.

XXX

Toothless

Joy engulfed him like a cloud. The time's when he was aloft with his Hiccup had served as the happiest time's of his life. Now it was so much better. He could feel Hiccup's mind hovering very close to his. The only problem was that mind was full of anxiety. Ever since he had found out that the human female had set out for the village his mind was nothing but a confusing maelstrom of worry. The concern was so intense that it had even interfered with his own thoughts once or twice. All this worry was focused on him. The boy had forgotten himself completely. He had forgotten about his shoulder, about the pain. That was a concern to Toothless. His Hiccup was in constant mind numbing pain. Yet Hiccup barely spared it a thought!

He reached out and touched the boys mind. His eyes still showed him a view of the coastal cliffs over which he was flying, the trees whizzing past in a blur, and the waves crashing into the cliffs base, silver in the moonlight. But his inner eye showed him a familiar sight. A large room created of golden mist. It swirled and undulated, yet maintained the general shape of the interior of a great human hall.

He radiated feelings of calm and certainty. The Vikings were never going to touch him. He felt the boy start to relax just a bit. _"Now look at it this way. No matter what happens down in that village, I will be waiting just inside the tree line. We will keep in constant contact, and we will leave at the first sign of trouble. We possess an advantage, and that is the fact that no one except Astrid is aware of me. Furthermore not even Astrid knows that we can silently communicate. _Hiccup was calmer now and he smiled slightly.

"I suppose I am over reacting just a bit. But Toothless I don't want you anywhere near the village!"

_"Hiccup I refuse to argue with you. I remain in contact with you at all times or you're not going in there."_ His rider cast around for some kind of argument or clever comment but he came up with nothing. _"Good." _In the distance light could be seen above the horizon.

The village came into view. Most of the buildings were fully reconstructed and only a few still displayed signs of damage. _"You humans are industrious. Like little ants running around and fixing their hill no matter how many times it gets knocked over."_

"Yeah. And they think just as much too." He smiled and angled his wings for a descent to the forest. The trees rose up to meet them and then engulfed them. Their landing was far more graceful than any of their first bumbling attempts. His boy leapt out of the saddle. "Alright. You stay right here in this clearing. I will stay here in the village for about half of the day, and then we can go. If nothing goes wrong anyway."

_"Fine but I will be with you at all times. Now go shoo." _Hiccup turned his back and started in the direction of the village with a slightly confused look over his shoulder. He leapt into a tree and secured himself from a bough by means of his tail and hung with his wings wrapping tightly around himself. The pine needles tickled and rubbed at his scales. Good he was about as well hidden as he could hope for. Keeping one eye open he cast his mind out and joined Hiccup. The hall of misty golden light shifted, and formed itself into surroundings.

XXX

Hiccup

He felt it when Toothless joined him. He felt the brush of his mind, and then things began to change. His vision blurred at first, then sharpened into an image so clear he felt as if he were seeing for the first time. The world gained a slightly bluish tinge, and the outline of each and every tree, rock, and shrub seemed to be outlined in a bluish glow. He could see details at a distance that was very disorienting. The sounds of the forest sharpened as well. He could hear the hoot of an owl that he was sure was way too far away. The close up sounds were now much louder, the sound of the rustling branches was now an impeding hiss in the air.

"Well this is different."

_"What?"_

"You don't see this?"

_"The forest?"_

"No not the.. Oh never mind."

_"The forest looks just as it always does Hiccup."_

"Well then maybe this is just how you see.

_"You know you should probably stop talking to me out loud. It will look a little odd if you walk into the village talking to yourself._

" Well hey I never really thought about that. I guess I could try…. _Can you hear me?"_

_ "Yes I can here you quite well. Now, let's go take on a village full of Vikings!"_

He stepped past the last trees, and out into the open section of ground between the forest and the first houses. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon, and he could see the first stirrings of activity. It felt very safe walking into the village with Toothless beside him. He could feel his friends presence all around him, protective and alert. It bolstered his courage as he strode out into the streets.

He could feel Toothless examining every single detail of the village while he looked around. As the suns light increased he made his way through the town toward the mead hall. Many of the Vikings he passed called out cheerful greetings. Hiccup could only manage a weak smile back at any of them. He found himself staring at them. They were so ugly. So unbalanced. They lacked what anyone could call grace. Unlike Toothless. When Toothless walked, it was like a dance. His scales reflected the light of the moon and stars, yet he could still slip into the shadows like a ghost should he desire it. Toothless was beautiful.

_"Not that I'm not flattered Hiccup, but could you possibly pay just a little more attention to our path? We've gone passed that large building we were headed for." _Toothless' voice had a smile in it. He blushed and reversed direction heading back towards the mead halls' door. His thoughts about Toothless had changed somewhat. Even now he could see that face before him. Perfect in every way. He shook his head and shouldered his way past the door.

Inside it was smoky and warm from the hall's cook fires. He made his way through the haze toward the large counter that served as a windowed passage to the kitchens. He took a plate of steaming cod and boiled turnips. The things were repulsive but they had to be eaten in order to maintain health. He also grabbed a flagon of mead on his way to his table. He had only started drinking the stuff in the last year or so, the taste was a little repulsive but the bracing effects got one started in the morning.

It was then that his own personal storm descended upon him. As soon as he sat down Fishlegs materialized in front of him. The twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut were next, followed by Snotlout. They were all talking at once and he remained silent. His heightened hearing was being thoroughly abused by the onslaught.

_"Hiccup do these children ever stop talking? It's really quite painful."_

_ "Sorry, one moment." _He spoke. "HEY!" The four other teenagers fell silent. "I can't figure out what any of you are trying to say. One at a time please." Snotlout was the first to speak up.

"Where the heck have you been cuz! No one has seen you since you totally took out that Gronkle the day before yesterday!" Hmm. It seemed that all of a sudden Snotlout wasn't ashamed to be related to him anymore. How very convenient.

"I've been… um… Hunting. Yeah hunting. Just spendin a day or two in the woods you know?" It was clear from the looks on their faces that they most certainly did not know. But then they were so used to not having any idea what he talked about that they didn't even give his answer a second thought. They began babbling again to him and at each other about the final exam. The epic battle that would take place between him and the Monstrous Nightmare. It should be happening today but the repairs had set the village back a bit.

The teenagers were so loud. So vulgar. A horrible odor hung around most of them. He needed to escape. He left the rest of his food on his plate and quickly got up from the table and made his way toward the entrance. The morons were so busy talking about him that he didn't even notice them leave. At long last he felt fresh air again. Then Toothless whispered, _"Uh oh." _

And he could see the reason for it too, or rather reasons. There on the edge of town Astrid staggered into view. Down by the cliffs, he could see a very familiar figure coming into view as it ascended the scaffolding. Stoic The Vast, had returned to Berk.

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	9. Chapter 9

Ok so it is my hope that my silence of late has not irritated you all to the point of anger. This chapter took WAY longer than I wanted it too and I'm still not completely satisfied. It's a damn sight better than that other rag that I took off however. It is time to read the TRUE chapter 9. After which you WILL R&R. Remember your reviews fuel this story! And now that finals week is over I can actually write on a DAILY basis. Yeah I know crazy right? Anywho I'm rambling so please ignore me now and read the chapter! And then review.

Chapter 9

Stoic

It had been a long trip back. Too long. Much of the supplies they had brought with them on the raid, had gone down with the other ships, as well as the crew of those ships. Half of his party. That was all that he had managed to save. And very few of that half did not have injuries. Sheer luck had been the only thing that saved them from sinking. Had the sea become even the slightest bit rough, they would have been dragged to the depths. But the sky had stayed blue and sunny for the entirety of their slow, painful voyage home. It was almost like the gods were mocking them. The meager supplies they'd had onboard the sole surviving ship had run out in just a few days. The conditions aboard were crowded and several of his villagers were beginning to develop an illness. The healer would have a long week ahead of him if they made it back alive.

When the ship had limped a good way into the harbor, he felt his heart drop directly into his stomach. Scorches marks and splintered wood covered the dock. Everywhere he looked he saw some form of damage. And the only villagers there to greet them on their return, were two Vikings with heavy bandaging, one had most of his upper right arm encased, while the other had the cloth wrapped around his head. Both cloths were saturated in blood.

With dull, almost vacant expressions on their faces, the two men, one of which he recognized as Hoark, pulled the ship alongside one of the few piers that remained intact, and secured the lines to both bow and stern. Slowly, he pulled himself upwards and rested his foot on the wood of the dock. It creaked with a mournful, pained sound.

"What has happened? Where is everyone else?" Usually about a quarter of the village inhabitants were down at the docks, either sending out the fishing fleet, or else receiving the catch of returning ships.

"A raid Stoic. Two nights ago. A horrible raid. They were out for blood. I've never seen dragons fight like that. They didn't just go after the food. They tried to kill as many of us as they could." As he spoke, Hoark's eyes took on a vacant expression, like he was starring at something in front of him that wasn't visible to anyone else.

He nodded to Hoark, though he wasn't sure if the man saw him, and continued past him, and upwards toward the village on the cliff's summit. It was a long treck, and his lack of real sleep over the past week only made the trek more difficult. Each small step, caused a pained creak from the scaffolding, and a silent groan that never reached his throat. All he wanted to do was collapse into his bed and let the entire world wait until he was ready. But it seemed that the dragons were not inclined to allow that. As he and the other villagers from the raid crossed the line between wood, and the stone solidity of the cliffs, a collective gasp rolled out from the group behind him. His own throat was closed. Frozen.

The sight before him was devastating. Most of the villages dwellings and building had burned to the ground. Hoark had said the raid had occurred two nights ago and he had assumed that the villagers would have finished repairing the damage in one day, two at the most. And yet here it was, three days later, and the destruction was still visible, and hardly remedied. He should have deduced the intensity of the situation from the bandages that the two men had worn at the docks. Both had been completely saturated with blood. The healer should have changed them long ago. But from the look of the few villagers crawling over the roofs and wreckage, making what repairs they could, it seemed there wasn't enough bandages to go around. The smell of burning permeated the air. It wasn't even merely wood smoke either. He scented burnt flesh and sickly sweet smell of death. The sun glared down in an impudent fashion, the one time they had received warm weather in the autumn season, and it came on a day like this? Fate had an ugly sense of humor.

He felt the final hope of rest and bed drain from his mind. He could see Gobber limping toward him on a crutch, with what looked like a broken femur above his prosthetic leg.

"So! You've come back! Damn good thing too. I can only manage so well. To put things simply, we're in trouble. Most of our flocks are gone, what little crops we had have been burned to cinders. We have about two shacks whorth o' fish, but with the ice setting in, we don't have any chance to eat through the winter, even with our numbers so diminished. An' by the looks of you, and your face, you didn't manage to take out the nest."

He sighed heavily. "We didn't even come close. Not only that, half of my party is gone. Drowned, or else burnt to ash." Gobber's face crumpled as what little composure he had left gave out.

"Half of the villagers you left behind were killed as well Stoic." He felt his face deflate, and he looked at the few villagers he could see. Most of them had the puffy red eyes of morners. They wouldn't allow anyone to see their tears in public, but it was obvious who had lost someone. And those that had lost someone appeared to be the majority.

"Please old friend," he could feel his voice shaking and teetering, "let me take a moment in my house and let this sink in. I need a few minutes. Just to set things straight in my head." It pained him to display t of weakness to those who looked up to him, but he knew that he would be of no use to anyone until he could think straight. Gobber sighed.

"Aye Stoic I can do that for ye." He watched his lifetime companion limp away on his crutch, over the ash covered streets, then turned towards his own home. As he starred at his home he noticed that it was whole, and undamaged. One wall was scorched where the blazing house beside it had heated it's surface, but beyond that, the house was completely untouched. This in itself was odd. Usually the house was missing its roof. It had been necessary to pull Hiccup out of the house as it came down around their ears when the boy was younger and didn't rouse so easily.

This thought brought him up short. Hiccup. His son. The destroyer of villages and killer of not a single dragon. Where was he? How much of the damage to the village had he caused? Was he safe?

It was then that Stoic noticed two things which brought him to a halt. One was his son who, to his relief, seemed mostly unharmed, though he did have a gash in his tunic, just where his shoulder met the rest of his body. Through the gap he could see a long straight line of red, though it seemed to not be bleeding. Hiccup however was rigid, and his eyes darted between his father and something beyond him. . He glanced behind to see if he could see what the boy was looking at. The only thing he noticed behind him was Astrid, who seemed to be completely frozen, and starring past him towards Hiccup. She was breathing heavily and her shoulders shook with every breath, as if she had recently run to her very limits. She too alternated rapidly between starring at him, and Hiccup behind him, her eyes were hard and unyielding. What was going on?

Stoic glanced back and forth between the two of them. They were both intent on each other, neither moving or making a sound. Then Hiccup abruptly turned and began striding quickly towards the house. He turned and looked at the girl. She starred at Hiccup's back as he walked briskly away. She was pale, and looked more than a little scared. Now that his son had strode away, she seemed to be loosening, her arm moved slightly, and she crossed both arms and shivered.

"Astrid, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Astrid's eyes widened slightly and her lower lip twitched. She slowly opened her mouth, and looked as if she was having difficulty forming words. After about a minute she finally said,

"d- Dr- Dragon." Her voice shook like a leaf in high wind.

"Dragon?"

"Dragon."

"What dragon girl? You're not making sense."

"i- In the w- woods. Dragon in the woods!" She was starting to make loud gasping noises.

"Oy!" Several villagers looked up. "One of you get her to the mead hall and see that she's fed and has something to wet her tongue. When she's calmed down a bit bring her to me." Astrid fell into hysterics as Stoic strode away and up the steps of his house. A dragon? In the woods? It couldn't be. Dragons never lingered on Berk. They came, they pillaged , they ran. That was how it always worked. The girl had probably just seen some shadow in the woods, a trick of light and texture.

Once he'd shouldered his way past the door, and let it fall shut behind him, he allowed his pack to slip from his fingers and he trudged slowly across the room to collapse in his chair. There was a fire lit in the hearth, Hiccup's work no doubt. Yet he could not see his boy anywhere.

"Hiccup! Are you here?" There was a few moments of silence, then very quietly a voice came from behind him.

"Yes dad. I'm here." The voice was very strange, flat and monotone. It had no emotional inflection at all. Stoic knew the many different changes that a man's voice could make, and what they usually signified. It was something he had slowly learned through his role as chief. You could tell a mans opinion and feeling, by how they spoke. But the sounds that emanated now from Hiccup's throat, held no inflection at all. It was as if Hiccup wasn't feeling anything. He turned and looked over his shoulder.

Hiccup sat on the stairs, looking straight ahead towards the house's front wall. His arms rested on his knees.

"Hiccup, did you cause any of the destruction out there?" It had been the first thought to pop into his head. It probably wasn't the best way to start a conversation after his extended leave of absence, but there was no retracting his words.

"No."

"No?" This was a surprise. Hiccup was truthful if nothing else, and during raids he almost always managed to break something.

"No. I was sleeping." Of course. The only time he wasn't breaking the various destructible parts of the village during raids, was when he slept right through them. His voice was still troubling though, it had yet to yield any kind of emotion.

"Has the healer seen at your arm son? I didn't get a good look but it didn't seem to bad." Hiccup glanced down at his right shoulder and shook his head.

"I'm fine." Stoic was starting to become worried now. Hiccup had never acted like this. He was always brimming with words. So many words as to prove a near constant nuisance. Now he was silent and stone faced. His features hadn't changed once during there exchange.

"You sound… Tired. Do you need rest? I'm sure you've worn yourself out helping with the repairs." Hiccup's expression remained blank, not even a single twitch of the eyes. "If that's the case then you should go get some rest." Silently Hiccup rose from his seat on the stairs, turned and disappeared silently into shadow. This was concerning. Something must have happened to him. Maybe he had been traumatized by the sight of so many dead and wounded. He had seen far older men than Hiccup become frozen with shock and grief. Yes that had to be it. What else would cause such a sullen reaction from that little sprig of sarcasm?

He had no idea how much time had passed, when there was a knock at the door.

XXX

Hiccup

That could have gone far worse. He lay sprawled on his bed. _"Did I sound even remotely normal?" _

_"No. You sounded like something dead. It was really rather disconcerting. Are you sure that was a good idea?" _Hiccup remembered the surge of hate that had passed through him when he saw his father. One moment he thought they were doomed, and the next, he didn't care. Anger had flooded his mind and a red haze had descended on his vision. The burning pain that coursed through every part of his body peaked and felt as though his bones were aflame. At the sight of the helmet his father wore, he had wanted to leap upon him and tear his throat out. He had imagined how very satisfactory it would be. To feel the blood of his enemies flowing freely over his hands, to smell it's salty tang, and to hear the flesh give way. For a brief moment he had been ready to rip his own father to shreds.

"_Of course it was a good idea. My father would have thought me insane!"_

Then Toothless had intervened. His vastly larger mind had enveloped him and frozen him in place. Then he had felt the anger slowly being siphoned off and into Toothless, who promptly released the tension by sinking his teeth with a guttural snarl into a bough of the tree he hung from.

Then when he had had to talk to his father, he had asked Toothless to do it again, but without the anger, there was no emotion left to fill the void. And he didn't even know why he was angry. Then just before he had trudged back up the stairs, he had looked at his father's back, and thought _"Viking."_ The word had carried venom in his mind.

He knew he carried a distaste for the Viking way of life, but he had never imagined he was capable of imagining such horrible things!

"_I think it might be partially my fault."_ Those words jerked Hiccup from his reverie.

"_What? What do you mean?" _

"_I mean that some of my emotions and thoughts might have overlapped your own. I know for a fact that I hate Vikings, and I would not hesitate to kill them. Your mind treated my thoughts as your own when it saw a Viking." _

"_So wait, am I going to walk around town for the rest of my life trying to stop myself from killing people?"_

"_Oh I really don't think so. Now that you know how our joint minds work, you should be able to control your anger." _Hiccup was silent then. And he thought for a long time about this new development. He could now share a link with Toothless. And be closer to him than he ever had the ability to be before. But that was having consequences. His distaste for Vikings had now waxed into anger. Hatred even. Was that a bad thing?

This last thought caught him by surprise. He was a Viking too wasn't he? No. He had never been one of them. He had always been apart. And now he had Toothless. He had a true friend and a true family. And maybe even something mor- He stopped that thought in it's tracks.

Toothless snorted with amusement and then started to occupy himself by blowing smoke from his nostrils in such a way as to create patterns in the air. His chuckles were forcing him to unfold slightly.

"_And just what are you laughing at?" _He glanced out the window above his bed to see that the sky was already a deep shade of blue, it was probably progressing towards noon about now.

"_I am laughing at you." _The dragon began convulsing and gurgling his amusement to the world.

"_Well shut up would you? I'm trying to think!" _Toothless stopped laughing and once again encased himself in his wings.

"_You are thinking about questions who's answers are dangling right in front of you."_

"_What?"_

"_You were born to Vikings yet you are not one. You share a mental link with me, a dragon, a different species. You care not a single little bit for the well being of other human beings, yet you have the ultimate concerns over me, a dragon. You are simply less human than those around you."_

Hiccup starred at the ceiling. He didn't really feel the same anymore he now realized. He knew for one that if he had tried to remain in this exact position, with his arms behind his head and his legs crossed, for as long as he had, he would have cramped up long ago. Yet his body was utterly relaxed. He felt the difference in the pain that pulsed in time with his heart just below his skin. He heard the difference in the sound of his father shifting in his chair on the floor below him, something he would never have heard before. He saw the difference in each tiny minute grain of wood in the ceiling. He could see it in detail beyond any he had before experience. His room now smelt dusty and dry, he could smell the musk of the wool rug the middle of the floor.

He was different. He had not been like this untill… When had these changes started?

_"Right when you woke. After Astrid smote you with her ax. When you felt that ax bury itself in your flesh, I felt my own flesh rend, as if it had been me. The barrier between our minds suddenly snapped, and we joined for the first time." _As Toothless spoke, Hiccup relived the memory only this time from his friend's point of view. He watched himself jump in front of the spinning weapon. He felt it as the ax pierced his flesh again, and this time. He heard Toothless roar in pain. Then he smiled slightly as Astrid was hit by Toothless' tail. Toothless really did care about him. A lot. A very very lot.

His hand unconsciously drifted to the wound in his shoulder and touched it. He froze. He felt no pain, yet he froze nonetheless. The injury did not feel like an injury. It was hot and smooth. And as Hiccup prodded it, he discovered that it was above all, hard. Very hard. He glanced down at the wound. The blood that had sealed the seam was now changing, from it's current amber-like state, and darkening. It already looked almost black.. It seemed his physical body was changing as well as his mind. This could be tricky to explain.

Then below him, he heard a knock at the door.

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	10. Chapter 10

So I've had less time to continue over the break than I thought I would, but this chapter is still going up sooner than the last one. Please review so that I can figure out where I'm going wrong and fix it!

Chapter 10

Toothless

The sound startled him. He had been considering the strange nature of his wound, when the harsh knocking resounded through the house. Almost before the sound had finished Hiccup had sprung to his feet. The boy didn't notice anything different, but Toothless saw that his gait had changed. He sprung in a single fluid motion off the bed, and landed on the balls of his feet, absorbing all of the impact in his knees. As a result his landing on the floor made no sound whatsoever and as he walked, he never dropped off the balls of his feet so his stride was silent as well, his knees constantly flexed. He quickly whipped off his tunic and tossed it over his head, where he knew it would land somewhere near the bed. He crossed to the small chest against the far wall and donned a new tunic that covered the mark on his shoulder, and quickly, silently, strode toward the door.

Directly outside the door was the stair case that would take him down to the first floor. Hiccup only descended the stairs half way though. There in the center of the room was Stoic in the midst of walking towards the door. Both his own and Hiccup's anger flared, but he had been correct. Hiccup, now forewarned, was able to keep control of his own emotion, though his upper lip still lifted in a silent snarl. That rather amused Toothless. As far as he knew, humans didn't snarl, or make that gesture with their lips. But apparently his Hiccup did.

Then a strange urge overtook Hiccup. He knew that whoever it was at the door would want to speak to his father concerning matters of the village, but what if it was Astrid? He didn't want to be seen. Still as silent as a hunting dragon, Hiccup leapt off the stairs and caught one of the rafters that supported the floor of his bedroom; or rather the entire second story, and lifted himself up into the shadows supplied by the lack of windows and many beams of wood.

"_You're becoming quite agile." _Hiccup started and became confused.

"_What do you mean?"_

"_You were never been able to swing yourself around in such high places before, with only the power of your arms. On the night I came to get you, you leapt right out of your second floor window and hoisted yourself onto the roof without appearing to overexert yourself."_

"_Hmm, I guess I did. That's weird I never even thought about it! I just kinda.."_

"_Did it?" _He chuckled as he finished Hiccup's sentence for him. That was when Stoic opened the door.

"Ahh there you are Gobber. And Astrid as well. Good, good come in, please." Hiccup tensed and froze in place, crouched on top of a rafter in a gloomy corner. They would not notice him unless they were really looking. The three Vikings sat down in chairs by the fire making loud creaking noises as they did.

"Gobber, your report first please." Gobber took in a deep breath and let it out as he scratched the place where his false leg met his flesh.

"It's not looking good Stoic. About a third of the herds were safely locked inside the mead hall before the battle started getting tense. Then they fell on us like a rain of fire. We only had half of the village available as you know. We were outnumbered at the very least ten to one. I've never seen so many dragons in one sky before. The defense was not well coordinated either. We lost at least half of those that fought. Most of the residences have burned down. I was stuck in the shop for the whole night without Hiccup's help though I was able to keep the stall from burning. We have a temporary living and medical quarters set up in the mead hall, cause it's the only place big enough."

"_That's strange. I didn't think the damage looked nearly as bad when I was out there. And the other teens didn't seem to be overly concerned either."_

_ "You weren't exactly paying much attention to the carnage though now were you? You were too busy comparing humans to my own glory. And that pack of adolescent savages wouldn't notice something serious unless it walked up and bit them."_

"You're telling me that more than half of the sheep are gone?" Stoic pressed. Gobber only responded with a grim nod.

"_Humans are so very weak. They have to rely on food that is pre stored and seared until it's barely even food anymore. It's far better to hunt down a young buck when you hungry, or fish up some nice cod." _His comment distracted Hiccup entirely.

"_I didn't know that you could eat red meat! I thought you lived entirely on fish!"_

"_Actually I didn't realize that I could eat it either until very recently. But eventually I became hungry enough to try it, and it turned out to be quite tasty." _He felt Hiccup join him in reliving his memory of his first taste of venison. They were completely engrossed in talk of hunting and Hiccup was just demanding that he be taken on the next hunting trip, when below they heard Stoic say,

"Now then Astrid. What's all this fuss about dragons?" Hiccup stiffened yet again and kept himself absolutely still. Astrid took a deep breath, and launched into her story.

"Hiccup always disappeared after dragon training. And nobody ever knew where he went. I was determined to find out. I followed him away from the village and into the woods. He found out I was following him though and he got very angry. Anyway while I was leaving, I saw this huge black dragon walking through the trees. It didn't notice me though, so I ran back to the village. No one would have believed me so I decided to wait and tell you when you returned sir." Astrid fell silent and slumped into her chair.

"_Ha! She didn't even try to involve me in the story! I'm a little put out. How dare she down play my role!" _

"_You're getting enough attention as it is as a mighty dragon _slayer _within the ring." _Hiccup gave a little half smile.

"_With me in the village she can't tell the truth because the truth involves her lopping my arm half off."_

"_Although it's a little weird that your arm wasn't crippled at the very least. Did I ever show you what happened after you fell unconscious?_

"_No."_

Memory flooded Hiccup's mind. He saw himself lying prone on the ground, the threat of Astrid had been dealt with. He saw through Toothless' eyes the care with which he nudged and prodded the ax, until it fell from his body with a sickening squelch. He felt no pain however as his body had not been alert to feel it. Toothless then destroyed the ax, in his mind, cleansing the evil object with fire. That object had violated the sanctity of HIS Hiccup's body. And it therefore had to be destroyed. Once that was done, he returned to his Hiccup and began cleaning the wound. That was when strange things started to happen. He watched in fascination as his shoulder began to twitch and spasm, as if there was something running around beneath the surface of his skin! The joint was moving slightly and through Toothless' ears he heard small grindings and crunches. It sounded like bone knocking and scraping together. Then he noticed that with every twitch and crunch, his shoulder shifted into more and more regular positions. The ax had definitely hit bone and shifted many things away from where they should be. Now before Toothless' eyes, they shifted back and mended of their own accord. Then Hiccup saw Toothless notice something even stranger. Behind his own closed eyelids, a soft green light was emanating. It looked almost as if he would find a green flame if he were to peel back those eyelids. Eventually however, the glow faded, and the shoulder ceased it's movements.

He felt Hiccup come back to himself.

_"What do you make of THAT?" _His boys head was spinning. Theory after theory came wizzing into his mind and then out again each more ludicrous then the last, faster and faster until it got to the point where Hiccup was starting to lose control of his own thoughts. Toothless administered a small mental slap. Hiccups mind ceased it's raging and was silent. _"Hiccup, our lives are just getting stranger by the hour. And by the looks of it, it's only going to become more and more abnormal. You need to take a deep breath, and stop freaking out when something weird happens okay?"_ Slowly, very slowly, Hiccups's breathing slowed and his heart rate calmed.

_"I guess after I accepted conversations with a dragon so readily, I don't really have much of a reason to freak out about this._

"…absolutely sure? It wasn't just some shadow? Maybe even a large wolf?" Hiccup started he'd been distracted from the conversation below yet again.

"Sir I saw it in the plain light of day. There isn't anything else I know of that is plated in scales, and has wings on it's back." Stoic heaved an enormous sigh, and seemed to slump slightly in his chair. The room was silent and all eyes were on the chief, watching for his reaction. For a few minutes the enormous man was utterly motionless. Finally a low and rumbling voice said,

"If there is a dragon in our woods, it is most likely injured. That is the only reason I can think of for any dragon to linger on Berk. It must be grounded, and it will therefore be vulnerable. Though it will be desperate, and for that we must take precaution. As soon as the repairs are complete and we can scrape together enough members for a hunting party, we will take vengeance for this latest of their atrocities."

It felt as though a Stone had dropped into Hiccup's chest. He had stopped breathing, his heart had actually skipped a couple of beats. A cold sweat had broken out across most of his body and his mind kept repeating the same word, over and over again.

We will take vengeance. We WILL take vengeance We will take VENGEANCE!

_"Hiccup!"_ No response. _"HICCUP!" _

Hiccup's reply was dull and monotone. _"They're going to hunt you Toothless. They won't stop. Vikings have stubbornness issues. They want to kill you." _And with that last thought a flame of fury burst to life within the cold blank confines of the boys mind. Rage was consuming his boy, making his muscles tense and his lip curl back.

With barely a split second to spare, Toothless enveloped Hiccup's mind with his own. The boy's contracted muscles locked as Hiccup struggled to wrestle back control of his body. He had been a tiny second away, from leaping down onto his father and tearing at his flesh with his bare hands. The silent struggle continued as Gobber heaved himself up and left to supervise some portion of the village repairs. Astrid stayed. Hiccup suddenly changed focus. Astrid. She had already tried to hurt Toothless. She deserved to die!

Hiccup's mind however was somewhat underdeveloped. He had no idea how to shield his thoughts so as to prevent Toothless' control. It was easy to hold the boy in check until he had calmed, though that calming took a rather long time. As the girl and the chief sat starring into the flames of the hearth below, Hiccup slowly regained control of his emotions. Finally Toothless released him and his rigid body relaxed and slumped against the beam at his back.

_"Thank you Toothless. I- I don't know what came over me." _Before Toothless could say anything a voice from below said,

"Excuse me chief, but is Hiccup here? Could I talk to him?"

"He's upstairs resting, but you could go and check to see if he's awake." Now it was Toothless' turn to tense. What right did SHE have to be in the same room alone with HIS Hiccup? How dare she? She who had wounded him in such a way! Hiccup was already in motion, swinging down under the rafters behind the backs of the Vikings. His feet landed silently on the middle of the staircase just as he heard Astrid rise to her feet. With silent feet he climbed the stair quickly and charged through the open door of his room. Throwing his Tunic off toward the chest he sprawled across his bed waited, with one eye cracked open to observe the door. Astrid came slowly into view. First the top of her head, then the rest of her body followed. Toothless felt his lip curl and a guttural snarl ripped its way through his throat.

_"Don't worry bud. She isn't going to try anything in my own house with my father downstairs." _Astrid paused at the door before slowly stepping into the room. Each of her steps was accompanied by the rustle of her boots sliding across the wooden floor. She stopped beside the bed and stood staring down at Hiccup.

_"I don't care; she is still standing FAR too close to you." _

_ "No arguments there. She smells horrible." _And it was true. Astrid reeked of the sour odor of humanity. She was about as human as you could get. Hiccup was only barely able to control his face, and stop it from contorting into the mask of distaste that it wanted to assume. She smelt nothing like Toothless with his spicy, musky, sweet scent. Just the memory of that scent was enough to make him completely forget about the girl standing over him. Suddenly he found himself sitting in the sunshine alongside Toothless and that feel of the dragon's nose on the skin of his neck. He shivered.

_"Once again Hiccup, I'm flattered. But you've closed your eye and I don't smell the girl anymore. Perhaps she's gone." _ For the second time that day, the blood rushed into Hiccup's face. He slowly opened one eye and then the other as it became apparent that there was no one else in the room. Yet the sour odor of human still hung in the air.

"_The moment that night falls, I'm getting out of here and coming back to you Toothless." _

Toothless felt a very loud purr, vibrate through his chest.

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	11. Chapter 11

Good gods, this took WAY longer than it should have. I warn you that this chapter contains rampant POV hopping, which was completely necessary. Sorry about the brevity! I'm kinda building into some big stuff! This chapter also comes with the news that I've decided to start posting news about this story in my journal on DA. I will explain reasons for delays and in general keep anyone posted who's interested. Mine DeviantID is spidermaster14(.)deviantart(.)com (remove the parentheses)

Oh and I almost forgot! Thank you all so much for the review explosion that the last chapter triggered! You keep up that feedback and I keep up the writing! And for all of you who don't no what to say in a review, just tell me what you liked, or didn't like about the dang story! Not all that difficult. Anywho, onward!

Chapter 11

Astrid

So there was a mark. At the very least there was evidence that she had not dreamed the whole thing up. She saw it. A line of deep shining crimson. It was strange, it looked like blood, but darker. Much darker. She could only stand to look at it for a moment or two, before she felt the need to escape. She had to get away from this strange boy.

She whirled and made for the door as quickly as she could without actually running. Her ax. She had no idea where it was. The last place she had seen it, was buried deep in Hiccup's arm. And the only evidence remaining from that bone crushing blow that had occurred only the previous day, was a thin line of what seemed to be dried blood. She stomped down the stairs and shoved past the front door. It all had to do with that dragon. That enormous black monster. It was evil. It was wreaking it's magic on Hiccup. It controlled his actions, and it healed his wounds. Somehow, she had to keep Hiccup away from it; then she could go and kill it. The thing had used the scrawny excuse for a Viking as a shield. How dare it! She leapt down from the porch, skipping the stairs, and trudged off in the direction of the ring. She would be with the hunting party when it went out, whether they wanted her along or not. She would put an end to this thing. But first she'd have to find her ax.

XXX

Hiccup

Night was slow in coming. But Hiccup didn't notice. The sunlight streaming through the window had an extremely repressing affect on him. The light and warmth caused him to yawn and his eyelids drooped. Before he was even aware of the strangeness of it, he was asleep.

Toothless, being nocturnal, was only too happy to join his rider in sleep. Dreams danced and flowed from one mind, to the other. The two frolicked and spun through meadows and the clouds. Into oceans, and then just as quickly into trees. They danced between minds and occasionally became confused as to who was who. Then they both decided that they didn't care in the slightest.

This was a new experience for Toothless. He had been linked to other minds before, but he had never stayed in contact for so very long. And he had never shared thoughts while sleeping. The mixture of rapidly fluxing colors, sounds, smells and the many, many different landscapes he found himself spinning through, all held an aura of wonder. Some looked as if they came from his early days in the ice lands of the north. Others were scenes of Hiccup's short life on Berk. And still others seemed to come from nowhere, created spontaneously by one mind and then sent spinning off to the other. He saw enormous mountains, strange misty forests, and lands that spread wide and far from horizon to horizon, completely flat.

Eventually, night did finally fall. And with the birth of the starlight above, came Hiccup's jolt into wakefulness. He sat bolt upright and breathed deeply. Toothless slept on unaware that Hiccup's mind had slipped off into wakefulness. It was no time at all before Hiccup had pulled his tunic back on, and leapt out of the window. The ground below seemed to rise up to him in a very slow and dubious way. All of the impact traveled up into his knees and dissipate. One hand fell flat to the ground to steady himself, and he ended in a three point crouch. He froze there, and listened while the light of the three quarter moon blazed down on him. Most of the night's noise was emanating from the mead hall. Not the raucous noise it had once been, but rather a subdued chorus of muttering. The only watchman that Hiccup could hear was a ways off and slightly downhill. The coast was clear.

With a bound he was up and running over the grass and into the trees. He knew the spot exactly where Toothless hung sleeping. His friends scent permeated the air. That scent. Again he felt the warmth and affection of his Toothless' nose in the soft spot of his neck. He felt a hot two pronged tongue touch his jaw, lightly, ever so lightly. His hands itched to touch scale. They wanted to rub along the strong neck and caress that smooth eyeridge. He skidded to a halt in front of the tree where he could see the dragon's cocoon like outline. And like a lantern being unshielded, a luminescent green eye opened and gazed at him from within the shadows.

_"Hiccup."_

_ "Toothless." _They stood gazing at each other for another minute. _"Let's fly. Far, FAR away from here." _Silently Toothless loosed his tail and slid to the ground, landing on all fours. Hiccup ran to his side and briefly checked to make sure the saddle hadn't shifted and everything was as it should be. And it was. With a jump, he was on his friend's back and with another jump, they were in the air.

Toothless dug into the air with each stroke of his wings, shoving them higher, and higher into the sky. Hiccup held on as best he could, and kept the tailfin locked in climbing position. The air whistled past his pale human skin, and the pain that throbbed below his skin intensified. They shoved their minds closer, and closer together, each feeling the wind and the world around through the other's senses. The night sky was afire with starlight. Thousands upon thousands, of millions of points of light burned above, and their light seemed to pulse in time with the pain. The pain was still in time with Hiccup's heartbeat. He felt Toothless' pulse between his legs, slow and strong and deep. His own heartbeat by comparison, was like a birds; rapid and shallow. But it was changing. As he and Toothless spiraled higher into the heavens, his heartbeat was slowing. His breathing likewise deepened, and slowed in tempo. He tasted the flavor of the air, letting it flow across his tongue and deep into his lungs. The wind told thousands of stories that he had never noticed before and that he still could not truly decipher. Finally his heartbeat stopped it's decline, and pulsed right alongside that of Toothless. There was no longer any difference. A single song sung by their bodies in perfect harmony. Then, suddenly, there was a snap. And they, were no longer _They._

XXX

Stoic

There was a lot of work to be done. Most of the residential buildings were complete. With such a reduced population, they need only rebuild about half of the village. Even so, it was difficult to reconstruct all of the agricultural buildings. There was also the concern of the food. There were barely any crops left in storage. The store houses had all burned. Winter was setting in and most of the flocks were gone. How was he supposed to feed an entire village with those damned beasts destroying all of the food? The medical position wasn't too sunny either. Those with injuries severe, or otherwise, were all forced to work to get what food they could find in the wreckage, into proper storage. They would have to send out foragers at the first opportunity. And on top of it all, the sun was setting.

The group of youngsters the village had mostly seemed strangely cheerful. They kept pausing in their duties to talk about something. After the fifth such delay, he called them all over to him.

"Now what is it that you find so exciting, and so important that you're postponing the work that will get your home back in order again?" The teen's excitement was in no way diminished and they gazed back at him with smiling faces and light in their eyes. It was Fishlegs who spoke up.

"We were just talking about the final day of training sir, and when it would come." Ahh of course. He had forgotten all about dragon training.

"Ahh yes! Astrid's match with the Monstrous Nightmare." The childrens looks changed from anticipation, to confusion. "It is Astrid who won right?" She was the best of all of them, there had never been a doubt in Stoic's mind that she would be the one participating in that final fight. Fishlegs spoke again.

"N- No sir. It was Hiccup."

Stoic starred at him. Had he heard right? Hiccup? His son? Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III? THAT Hiccup? Had exceeded all of his peers, including Astrid, and would now kill his first dragon in front of the entire village? That was absurd. It was ridiculous. It simply couldn't be true. But what if it was? Any sort of skill on Hiccup's part would completely overshadow the fact that the chief's son was a useless, walking disaster. It let him right off the hook!

"Fishlegs, did you just say, Hiccup?" The boy wore a face of extreme nerves.

"Y- Ye- Yes sir!" Stoic's eyes swept the small group. They were all nodding in earnest.

"Hiccup. My son. He placed first?" More nodding.

Stoic felt the first smile that he had experienced in days crack beneath his beard. This was wonderful! "We can use this to wipe the depression straight out of the villages eyes! A good match, especially one with so much curiosity valure, should make them completely forget their troubles! And we have a lot of trouble that needs forgetting. If only briefly. You four get out there and spread the word! The killing of the Monstrous Nightmare shall take place tomorrow at sun rise!" And with woops of excitement, the teens sprinted off.

XXX

Unknown

We are as high as we can climb without depriving our smaller body of oxygen. We fold our right wing, and shift our heel to close the tailfin. We spin, falling faster and faster toward the water below. Layer after layer of clouds rush past us and we feel each layer of moisture as it passes. Below us is the sea. We can see it with both sets of eyes. Growing closer, and closer. We do not have much time to spare, but that is what makes it fun. We throw our right wing open and click our heel to open our tail to it's fullest extent. Air pulls harshly at both of our bodies. Our wings are strained to their limits. It feels as though they will be torn off and flung into the sky. But they are not. They endure and we find ourselves soaring, just above the crests of the tallest waves. The starlight reflects in the water. It is as if we fly between two night skies. One above, and one below. But beneath the surface of the sky, there is a long flash of silver. We trace it's movement. Without a moment's hesitation, we reach through the sky, and snare it in our claw. Dinner. We angle our wings and reposition the tailfin, and begin a climb to the cliffs where we will feast. The air dances on our skin, both armored and bare. Our bare skin is stifled. Confined. We do not like it. We reach up with our pale human hands, and rip away the fabric that impedes us. It falls away, far far below. And as the sky caress' our bodies, we unleash a double outcry of wild joy.

XXX

Toothless

_"Hiccup?"_

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "Does this fish taste.. better than it should?"_

_ "Kinda like it's the best fish in the entire ocean?"_

_ "Exactly."_

_ "I guess what they say is try. Food that you catch yourself does taste better than anything else." _Hiccup ripped another piece off of the section of spine he was holding.

_"I thought you human's couldn't eat meat without singing it."_

_ "We can't."_

_ "That fish is almost entirely raw." _Hiccup looked down at the dead flesh in his hands, then shrugged.

_"It tastes better this way." _Toothless let out a loud and throaty chuckle.

_"I couldn't agree with you more." _

His Hiccup was reclined against him within their freshly made bed of warm ashes, and the carcass of the immense fish lay in front of him, beside a small fire that he had lit to help keep his human warm. The scaly body was torn open in the middle, and many of it's organs had already disappeared. Hiccup appeared particularly partial to the segments of muscle that lined the bones of the fish, odd, as it was the organs that held all of the real flavor.

His human was also bare-chested. He vaguely remembered tearing the cloth from his boy because of the discomfort. Wait. How could he have torn it off? He couldn't reach around his own spine to bring his claws anywhere near Hiccup. Had it been Hiccup who'd torn his own clothing? Yes that must be it. Keeping things straight with his human was so difficult.

The changes the boy was undergoing should have been strange. Frightening even. A human could not leap about in as agile a fashion as Hiccup did nor could a human eat meat that was raw. In fact, the chill in the evening air should have been causing Hiccup enormous discomfort without his upper second skin. The lower one remained intact, but still.

_"Hiccup, are you cold?"_ The boy looked up at him and grinned.

_"How am I supposed to manage that with all of this?" _He wriggled and pressed his body closer against the scales at his back. _"It's like leaning on a furnace." _

_ "Hiccup I can smell winter approaching. The air is bracing and wind rushes from the north. It is only going to get colder. You can't run around without clothes on." _His boy looked away and ripped another strip of flesh from the piece of spine in his hands. After chewing, somewhat noisily, and swallowing he said,

_"It is far too uncomfortable to wear a tunic. It started out as just a trifling annoyance, but recently it's become completely unbearable. And besides, I can't feel the cold. _He stood and paced to the edge of the cliff, then turned to face Toothless, a smug grin on his face. _"In fact, it feels very nice. Balmy, almost as if it were a summer evening._

It was while his boy was standing before him, bare-chested and smiling, that Toothless noticed the other changes. The limbs, and oddly shaped human torso, seemed swollen. No, they seemed as though they had simply grown very quickly, swelling outwards in a natural fashion. His scrawny fishbone of a boy seemed to be rapidly filling out. Of course he was still a shrimp compared to the others of his age group, but he was definitely nowhere near as weak and helpless as he'd been a few nights ago. And it was this new bulk that allowed him to notice the other change. He had a clear view of the wound that had been left behind by that vile girl's weapon. It seemed wider than before, as if the skin had parted slightly.

_"Toothless? What's wrong?"_

_ "Come here Hiccup."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "Just do it." _They boy slowly stepped over to his friend. _"Let me see your wound." _The boy leaned down and stretched out his arm to give the dragon a good vantage. The hard and shiny substance that resembled blood, was now completely inky black. It was also flaking. Cracks had appeared and shards had already fallen away. Beneath it was not the freshly healed pale skin that he would have expected. No. Beneath the odd crust was a segmented material. At first Toothless didn't believe his eyes. Then his nose interpreted the feint smell emanating from the mark. The black scales of a Night Fury.

XXX

Astrid

It was pure chance. She had simply been in the right place, at the right time. Her parents were still in the mead hall, drowning their sorrows deep in their tankards. She had been carrying firewood into her freshly built house to warm the place for the night, and it was then, during a pause for breath, that she spotted Hiccup. Her gaze had been random and only the movement made her focus. A shadow dropped from the second story window of Hiccup's house. She waited for the squawk of pain that would follow the damage the idiot must have done to his legs, but it never came. The shadow, framed in moonlight simply landed in a silent crouch, and was still. Unnaturally still. Then, without a sound, it lifted itself, resolving in the moonlight into the scrawny shape of Hiccup, and took off trotting towards the forest. She may not have found her ax, but she had her knives. She wouldn't attack the dragon, only watch, and gain insight. She would find out why Hiccup went to it and she would figure out the best way to kill it. Dropping her bundle of firewood, which was in fact wreckage from the raid, she jogged for the woods for the third time, in pursuit of the Viking she despised.

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	12. Chapter 12

Alright! Pretty quick update I'd say! A warning. This shall be the chapter in which the M rating comes into effect. I repeat TOOTHCUP YAOI IS CONTAINED WITHIN THIS CHAPTER. If you are offended by such things and are reading this fic anyway (for some reason) I would recommend skipping this chapter and waiting for 13. Otherwise, read on! And enjoy. This is my very first lemon. Oh and don't forget to review. Haterz are welcome as they are very amusing.

Chapter 12

Hiccup

_"It's not possible."_

_ "Yet it is."_

_ "It can't be."_

_ "Hiccup, if someone had told you several weeks ago, that you would be conversing with a Night Fury, eating raw fish, and walking around in the Soon-to-be-Winter with no clothing covering your torso, what would have been your response?"_ He let out a large sigh.

_"I would say that it simply wasn't possible."_

_ "Exactly." _Could this really all be happening just because of the bond? Well, dragons were very mysterious, despite all the knowledge stored in the manual, and Night Furys were stranger still. He was the only human to see one and live! Well, except for Astrid.

And just like that his thoughts were boiling and his teeth were grinding as he imagined that vile, scheming little shrew. She seemed to be determined to make his life miserable whether he was here in the forest, or back in the village. And she'd attacked him to boot! Well, she hadn't really attacked him, but she had attacked Toothless, and as far as he was concerned, that was an assault on himself as well.

Toothless had been starring up at him from the ground all this time while his own gaze was fixed on his layer of new "skin". The scales seemed to capture the moonlight and starlight, and reflect it back in a dark and smooth way, just like Toothless' scales. And all of a sudden, Toothless was on his feet.

The dragon suddenly lunged towards the forest as if he was fleeing for his life, yet no thoughts of fear emanated from him. In fact, it was difficult to discern any of his thoughts at all. His friend's mind was a completely jumbled mess. Thoughts and emotions were flying every which way, colliding and spinning off as new feelings. Hiccup was so very confused by the storm going on inside that big scaly head, that he tried to withdraw and shield himself from it.

Toothless had reached the tree line now, and he made a beeline for one of the pines. It wasn't an overly large tree, but it wasn't very small either. It was about twice as wide as Hiccup, but at least ten times his height, as near as he could reckon. Toothless circled the tree several times, sniffing and prodding with his nose, before he reared onto his hind legs, and threw all his weight against it through his fore paws. Then the Night Fury began to push. The tree swayed back and forth as the dragon applied more and more pressure. Hiccup heard the sound of creaking timber.

He couldn't take his eyes away. He wanted to call out to Toothless and ask him what was going on, but something held him, frozen. Silent. The dragon was pushing and straining against the tree as if life depended on it. The muscle underlying scale, rippled, twitched, and popped. Hiccup found his eyes roving all over Toothless as he pushed against the tree, which was swaying and creaking in evidence now. The display of power was completely enthralling. He felt his mind fogging over. Then the wind shifted, and started flowing from the north, through the forest, and toward Hiccup. Toothless' scent hit him full in the face. It was the same spicy sweet musk that he remembered, but it was many times stronger. The sweetness was somewhat diminished, leaving the musk and spice to overwhelm his senses.

It was intoxicating. The tree was making extremely loud creakings and shrieks as Toothless strove to force it beyond it's limits. Hiccup found his eyes once again roving over Toothless' form, again and again. It was as if he couldn't get enough of it. He was so beautiful. The scales gave off a feint glow in the moonlight. It looked as if the stars had been pulled from the sky and shaped into the form of a dragon. And every time the muscle beneath them bulged and rippled, the glimmering scales danced in the moonlight. Hiccup felt shivers run up his spine. Then there was a mighty snap and a shrieking sound, as the tree fell and toppled toward the forest.

Immediately Toothless had the base in his mouth and he began to drag it toward Hiccup as quickly as he could manage. Hiccup felt anticipation begin to build in his chest. Adrenaline began to feed into his veins, and the burning pain that accompanied every one of his heartbeats increased to fevered temperatures. Finally Toothless reached him, bearing his trophy.

And he leapt. He didn't leap upwards, but instead poured all of the force in his legs, into propelling himself forward, and into Toothless. The dragon was unprepared for the weight and he fell sideways as Hiccup latched onto his neck. The boy had no idea what was happening, or what he was doing. His body seemed to be acting of it's own accord. He maneuvered himself behind the dragon's head as they fell sideways together, and locked his legs and arms around the wide scaly neck. Toothless landed and gave a snarl of rage, leapt to his feet in a second and started to swing his head violently from side to side. Hiccup felt the world waving violently before him. Toothless didn't stop there either. He was soon leaping around the edge of the cliffs, swinging his head and bellowing his discontent. All the while Hiccup's body still wasn't responding to anything his mind tried to say. It was still acting on its own, and right now it was inching forward up Toothless' wildly thrashing neck. At times it seemed he would be thrown off, but his hands persisted in their grip. Eventually he was close enough to the ear plates that they kept smacking him in the face as Toothless moved below. Then, with one final lunge forward, Hiccup felt his teeth, close around the base of Toothless' ear. He bit down hard. The dragon went limp beneath him.

XXX

Toothless

It was done. He had wondered if Hiccup would know what to do. The boy probably didn't understand what was happening. Hiccup's mind had felt bewildered and confused, but he had sensed it. That muggy fog that had settled in his own mind, was just as evident in that of Hiccup. Toothless had known that his bond with the boy was completely strange and abnormal, but he had not thought that it was quite THIS strange. But there was no denying it. He felt his Hiccup's being, reverberate throughout every sinew of his body. He felt the boy's mind brushing his own. He smelled the soft, almost floral scent, much sweeter than any human he'd ever encountered. And most of all, he felt the boys teeth. Right where they should be. In that sweet spot where the most nerves in all of his body were concentrated. At the base of his ever so sensitive ear. It was the left ear to be precise. He was now infinitely relaxed. The hard part was over. There were only two things left to do.

He felt his body urge him to move, to engage the first of the two most important actions of his lifetime. But that was not up to him. He was completely immobilized so long as Hiccup maintained the jaw lock on his ear. Not that he felt like complaining. No amount of dragon-nip in the world compared to this. The feeling of his boy's teeth was like pure sunlight. Soft and warm. Slowly, ever so slowly, the boy's hold loosened. It was lucky they had left the saddle on.

Toothless leapt forward and straight over the cliff edge. Without any sort of pause, Hiccup released his hold and fell backwards until he was hovering over the saddle. With quick deft hands, he pulled himself down onto the dragon's back and placed his heel into the stirrup, clicking it upwards immediately to begin a very steep climb.

Toothless threw himself into the long journey upwards. Neither of them said a word. Neither of them was thinking clearly enough to speak. Both of them only wanted an increase in altitude, needed it, in fact. Higher and higher they climbed, passing bank after bank of clouds. Soon they were alone with the wind, the stars, and a view for many, many leagues in every direction, far beyond the natural horizon. Suddenly, the sky was filled with green. They both looked up as light sprang from nowhere, and danced across the heavens. He heard Hiccup let out a joyful laugh as the waves of light twisted and fluxed across the sky. Then they folded their wings. And fell.

It was a glorious fall. They seemed to float together in a void, devoid of sound and smell. There was only Hiccup as they plummeted toward the sea with both of their heads facing downwards. He reached out with his wings, and engulfed his Hiccup. For a moment, they stared into each other's eyes. His boy's eyes were shining brilliant, forest green. Then something strange happened. Hiccups irises did not seem to want to hold still. They were moving rapidly back and forth. And they seemed to be reflecting the green light above. Then he realized that the eyes were not reflecting the light of the sky, it was too bright. They were shining with their own green light. Then the pupils began to elongate, and the irises too. They became ovular and the pupils were vertical slits. He found himself starring into a scaled down version of a Night Fury's eyes, in brilliant green. Then he felt Hiccup's arms slide around his neck, and squeeze. He felt his Hiccup's heartbeat, fluttering and stuttering like that of a bird. Then he felt that change as well. It slowed, and soon matched his own. They stayed like that. Falling in perfect harmony. The song that each of their bodies sung, struck a chord in the other.

Then they broke apart. Hiccup grabbing hold of a strap of the harness, and pulling himself back over the edge of the wing, and into the saddle. The sea was closing with them fast, but with a swift flick of his heel, they began pulling out of their headlong dive. In a second, they were parallel with the ocean below. And a second later, they were brushing the tops of trees. Before Hiccup could even try to form a coherent thought, they dropped down into the cove. The landing was a little clumsy as they had both stopped focusing so very hard on their flying. Toothless was far more concerned with other things. As soon as his paws touched ground, he dropped his left side so that it was lower than his right. Hiccup was immediately unbalanced and he fell headlong into the pile of cold ashes that had served as a bed a few days before. Toothless reached up with one claw, and snapped the leather that held his harness together. With a few shakes of his back, it was flying into the distance. The cable that connected the saddle to the tailfin also snapped, but that did not even register in their thoughts.

Hiccup, who had struggled into a sitting position supported by his hands behind him, finally managed to form two coherent words in his thoughts. _"Toothless.. Wha..?" _but he was cut off. Toothless placed one forepaw against his rider's bare chest and applied pressure until the human was once again flat on his back. He then pressed his nose to Hiccup's chest, and inhaled deeply. The scent was completely overwhelming. He couldn't get enough of it. He shifted his nose upwards, slowly, until it was nestled in the crook between Hiccup's shoulder and neck. He felt a thrum radiate throughout his body. Hiccup twitched and squirmed beneath him, letting out a little gasp. Then he felt his split tongue slowly begin to slide forward, almost of it's own volition, and he ran it up along the boy's neck. Hiccup went rigid.

Toothless gazed down at the boy. Hiccup, with a shocked expression on his face, starred back with eyes that were not human. Eventually his tongue came to rest, just on the side of the boys tiny human lips. The taste was.. Indescribable. It was as if the taste of human skin, had been combined with that of dragon scale, into a zestful, spicy new flavor. He saw those draconic eyes close slightly, and slowly, so very, slowly, the pink tip of a tongue poked through the side of those thin, human lips. Then with a jolt he felt the tip meet his own. His vision fuzzed out for a moment. He could only see vague shapes for a time. He felt Hiccup become bolder, and push outwards exploring the gap between the two halves of the tip of his tongue. Then he felt their mouths connect. Hiccup's felt so small and fragile, as if it might break at any given moment. He tried to remind himself to be careful. But it was difficult to hold onto any kind of thought. Their lips, mismatched in size as they were, moved together for a few brief moments while their tongues danced.

Then Hiccup's arm reached up, and fit itself into the bend behind his skull and his neck. The touch was charged with energy. Reluctantly he broke contact with Hiccup's mouth and brought his tongue to bear against a new frontier. Hiccup's chest was now defined and molded. He had grown muscles in his time of mental commune with him. His tongue found a whole new frontier to explore, each formation of skin had the same basic tastes, yet they had tiny variations as the skin sloped and dipped. The texture of the skin was much the same, all alike, yet slightly different. Hiccup shifted and squirmed beneath his paw as an onslaught of sensations were sent arcing up and down his spine. Toothless took a side trip and moved to the scar that was actually scale. That tasted even more draconic than the rest of him. Yet it still tasted like Hiccup.

Hiccup decided to make yet another attempt at forming a coherent thought. _"Toothle…" _But he was silenced again. This time by the ripping of his lower second skin. It was in the way. Just like the saddle. So Toothless simply had to remove it. The fabric shredded easily between his extended teeth. Hiccup made a small squeaking sound out loud, timid, almost like a mouse being stepped on. His boy was excited. That much he could tell. That was good. He wanted Hiccup to enjoy this just as much as he would. He flicked the protrusion with his tongue. Hiccup gave a very large twitch and a small moan escaped from his lips. He chuckled and ran his tongue first from base to tip, and then back down on the side. This time Hiccup's back bowed upwards and he let out a sort of long, drawn out cry that was somewhat akin to a growl.

This could be a little difficult for Hiccup, but he knew he would manage. He felt his own dragonhood beginning to extend and slide forward from it's protective sheath. He slipped his tongue forward to that the two halves wrapped around Hiccup's manhood and met on the other side. Then he began sliding it upwards, and slowly back down. Hiccup was positively writhing now, and panting as well, gasping for breath. His hips bucked slightly. Now he must be prepared. He slipped a claw under Hiccup's body and slowly turned him to the side, flipping him over and exposing his back. The boy now stood poised on all fours. Hiccup, being a male, just was not built for mating with another male. But they would make it work. He let his tongue dance around the outline of Hiccup's only other orifice besides his mouth. Then, he slowly pushed forwards. Hiccup gave a low grunt, and pushed backwards, slowly driving the tongue deeper, and consequently opening himself wider. Toothless now withdrew his dead. All was ready. It was lucky that a Night Fury's dragonhood was so much longer than it was wide, otherwise it might put Hiccup at risk. The sooner it was done, the better.

_"Toothless.. Wai..!"_

It was too late. He'd already driven forwards. Hiccup let out a howl of raw feeling. Weather it was of pain or pleasure, or maybe even both, he could not tell. He buried himself deeply within his beloved, standing over him protectively, so that no other would come near. Then, in symbol as old as time, he bent his head forwards, placed his teeth on either side of Hiccup's left shoulder, and bit down, hard. All of Hiccups breath flew from his chest at once, and he felt the boy's mind resolve into a lump of pure pleasure. Hiccup started rocking backward and forward, impaling himself again and again on the rocklike flesh and scales behind him. Toothless felt pressure building, untill finally, an explosion rocked his body and Hiccup let out a feral snarl and that quickly shifted and became a groan. Then he fell unconscious.

Toothless quickly curled a paw inwards and upwards, catching the boy before he could fall to the ground. Then he rolled to the side, wrapped his new mate tightly in his wings, and was lost to the world himself.

XXX

Astrid

The tree was scored in multiple places, by what she assumed was scale. There was no trail in the surrounding woods, so she assumed the beast must have flown away. There was no way to track it. She would have to wait and see if Hiccup showed up for his fight. And if he did, she'd have to see about cornering him, and getting a few straight answers.

She turned, and stalked back towards the village.

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	13. Chapter 13

Ok people like I said on DA this chapter is ready WAY ahead of schedule thanks to some avid conversation with Loti-Miko. Now I'll warn you up front that there is some trippin timeline hopping contained in this chapter. Please hold you questions and confused looks until the end. Your reviews are keeping me going so do your job and I'll do mine. Enjoy! Spidermaster out.

Chapter 13

Stoic

The day dawned in glorious radiance. And Stoic the vast was there to watch it. He was up long before the sun. It was only a few minutes he spent on the cliff tops, waiting for the sunrise. And the day now began. The day when his shame would be washed away completely. Hiccup, was a warrior. By looking just beneath the surface, Gobber had uncovered a dragon battling prodigy! He would finally be able to share full conversations with his boy! He could tell him about the weak spot he knew about in a Gronkle's thick skull! So much happiness lay ahead.

"So. Today's the day mmh?" A glance over his shoulder revealed Gobber tottering towards him in that ungainly way of his. Really it was amazing that the old cripple did so well.

"Indeed. Indeed it is." And with a smile playing about his lips, Stoic the Vast turned, and made his way past Gobber, back towards the village.

XXX

Hiccup

It was dark. That was good. Why? Darkness is always good. But is this particular darkness good? What if it wasn't? That was why he hadn't moved. Something might realize he was there. Where was Toothless? Pain. Ahh yes.

Hiccup's eyes opened. No other part of him moved. He was wrapped in the comforting, warm, scaly embrace that only Toothless could produce. From behind him the loud, windy sound of the dragon's breath rushing in and out of his massive lungs. Slowly. Ever so slowly did Toothless breath. The enormous heart was also in evidence, thudding lethargically against his back. That's when the pain hit. The normal pain was still there. The pain he felt pulsing in his veins every day. But it was more intense now in one particular place. His entire abdomen felt as if Gobber had been dancing on it. He felt bruised. Bruised very thoroughly. He also realized that there was nothing separating any part of his skin from Toothless. He felt as though he were wearing clothing made of scale. What had happened last night? Where were his pants? He racked his brain for memories. And then, the memories found him. Far sooner than he was comfortable with.

The entire previous night rushed back to him. Strength. Choice. Flight. Fall. Pain. Pleasure. Ecstasy. Fear. Then the memory shattered. Wrong. It was all wrong. This went against nature. No. It had felt so right. But it wasn't. Was it? He was a human. Humans loved other humans. Dragons loved dragons. And that was that. He had thought that the strange, overly affectionate thoughts buzzing inside his head these past few days, were just some weird phase thing that came from finally having a real friend. But now they had waxed. Grown and become something completely unnatural. But then, was he even really human? Toothless had said so himself, he obviously was something more. He communed mentally with a dragon. He survived a crippling ax blow, almost untouched. He had tripled in strength, in a matter of days, if his roof and rafter exploits were anything to judge by. Maybe, he wasn't human. But if he wasn't human, what was he? He wasn't a dragon. Dragons had wings, and breathed fire. The only thing draconic about him was his scales. And those shared body space with skin. If he wasn't a human, then was it wrong to love Toothless? Was it right to love him even though he wasn't a dragon?

Toothless stirred in his sleep. The wing cocoon twitched. Hiccup gave a slight outward nudge. The wings relaxed slightly and he was spilled out into the bed of ashes. He froze. The steady breathing behind him continued. He slowly exhaled his nosefull of soot. The sun was not up yet. It would probably be another three hours before sunrise. Ahh. There were his pants. Or what used to be his pants. They were completely shredded. He silently got to his feet, and made for the water. Why had Toothless done this? He remembered trying to talk to him. Trying to figure out what was going on. But his friends mind had been like something made of iron. He had not gotten so much as a glimmer of acknowledgment as he tried to batter his way in. Toothless had acted. And now he felt even more different than he already had of late.

The cool morning breeze sent goose flesh rippling over his bare body. All except for two places. One was the line of scales that decorated the space between his right shoulder and his torso. The other was a space in front of his left shoulder. And as he looked down, he stopped dead.

A curved line of red started on the side of his left pectoral, and arced gently upwards, through the center of his chest, and there he lost sight of it. He lifted a hand to trace it. The mark felt exactly the same as the ax wound had when it was still a matter of hours old. Hard. Hard and very warm. It was as if the blood had congealed and thickened into a substance as hard as stone. The mark traveled over his neck, then slightly behind his head before running down his shoulder. The mark was segmented into darker, and lighter halves. Just like teeth. It was a bite mark.

The mark didn't hurt. It didn't even ache. In fact, it felt warm, and slightly tingly. It was almost as if he had been tickled. He finally continued on to the water and slowly stepped in. He had swum here before. He had remembered the water being so much colder. Now it only felt slightly cool. He thought that probably meant he was running a fever, but he was too confused to care about that right now. The water was soothing and he found himself relaxing despite the chaos of his thoughts. He swam farther out towards the center of the lake, and began to float on his back and closed his eyes. He tried not to think about anything. Not the cove. Not himself. Not his new scar. Not the beautiful, perfect, muscular dragon, sleeping on the shore behind him. With that thought his eyes popped open. Did he really have a right to worry about what Toothless had done to him last night, when he was thinking exactly the same kind of thoughts about him? He glanced back towards the dragon. Too far. He was too far. He shouldn't be this far away. Toothless should not be over there without him. He shouldn't be over here without Toothless.

His mind refused to think beyond that. His body began swimming as quickly as it could manage back towards the dragon, before he had even decided to act. He felt better when he stepped up the slope out of the water. It was as if he had let all of his cares, simply float away. What did it matter that Toothless was a dragon? He was HIS. He chuckled quietly. Toothless had been thinking possessively about him for a while now. The big scaly lump had probably seen this coming, and saw fit not to warn him. Oh well. He was HIS Toothless. And he was Toothless' Hiccup. And that was that. He shook the as much of the water from his skin as he could.

Toothless was still on his side. His wings were twitching and compressing against his body. As if trying to touch something that wasn't there. He was also making small whimpering sounds. Hiccup knelt, and reached out a finger to tickle the edge of one wing. Almost at once it swelled outward and opened to reveal Toothless' head, with a troubled look on his adorable sleeping face. Hiccup dropped to one knee, and then rolled sideways. Toothless caught him without even waking and encased him once again in his scaly embrace. The dragon's nose rested in between Hiccup's left shoulder and neck. Right where his new scare was. Feelings of warmth and softness spread out over his entire body from that one point. He felt his body relax utterly, and he pressed his face into the side Toothless'. Then a thought crossed his mind, and he whispered it to the sleeping dragon that surrounded him.

"To the hells with humanity. This is better."

XXX

Stoic

Everything was in place. The sun was shining and the entire village was gathered around the outside of the arena. He had said those few trifling words, and of course declared how proud he was. How could he not be?

Then came a creak. At the far end of the arena, the large wooden doors swung inward and admitted a tiny, well, relatively tiny, figure. Hiccup looked like a blade of grass in a forest surrounded by the enormous confines of the arena. As he walked toward the center of the ring, the crowd erupted in cheers. Stoic felt a smile split his lips. Hiccup seemed to be one of the most popular Vikings in the village! When he reached the center, he stopped and waved a little to the audience. Cheeky little devil he was, Stoic thought with a silent chuckle.

Hiccup lowered his arm and stepped up to the weapons rack, but instead of taking a weapon or even a shield, he removed his belt knife and placed it with the other weapons. Murmurs and whispering erupted in throughout the audience. He then removed the helmet from his head as well, and put it with the other bits of armor. This was going to be interesting.

XXX

Toothless

The waking was slow. Just as it should be. He could feel the difference. He was no longer independent. He could have struck out and lived on his own before if he had really wanted to. Now that was all changed. He felt Hiccup mind, not close to his, but within. The distinctions between their minds, were now harder to find. Rather than two floating independent entities, there was one entity controlling two bodies. Hiccup was sleeping peacefully and dreaming of their mating flight. It had been an excellent fall. The stars themselves had acknowledged their union and shown an otherworldy light down on them as they fell. Then Hiccup's eyes had shifted. He had seen his own eyes in a reflection once before, and Hiccup's eyes had become a perfect copy in a different color.

The boy stirred slightly. He felt damp. Perhaps he had gone for a swim. He could feel the aches and pains shooting through his Hiccup's unconscious mind. And he felt sadness. He had done this. He could have damaged Hiccup! He hadn't been in control. He would never let that happen again. In the future, if they coupled, he would ensure that they were slow and careful. Hiccup would not feel like this again.

Then Hiccup's dreams turned to other things. Namely, his impending battle with the Monstrous Nightmare. Hiccup knew that he could incapacitate the dragon with ease, but he was expected to kill it. And this he refused to do. How could both he, and the dragon escape alive? Then the boy thought of something. If his father was home, he would want the battle to occur today! Probably at mid day! Hiccup jolted into wakefulness.

"_Toothless!"_

"_Shhhh. I know. I know. He have to get back to the village as quickly as possible. You just calm your little self and we will be there in no time. I can feel you aches. Your too sore to fly. So hold still." _He unwrapped himself and lunged for Hiccup. He had the middle portion of the boy in his mouth before Hiccup could even utter a cry. His teeth were retracted of course. Then he took an enormous leap over the edge of the cove, and they were running for the village as the sun came into view through the trees.

XXX

Astrid

He was a cocky little beansprout. She gave him that. He stood ready to face a Monstrous Nightmare with no weapons beyond his hands, and no protection beyond his own skin.

"I'm ready!" He said it in a voice that wasn't yelling, but was still heard by all. She couldn't detect a trace of nervousness or fear in it, nor did it shake in the least. He was braver, and dumber than anyone could have imagined. As the locking bar was lifted from the mighty door, Hiccup raised his arms so that his hands were in clear view and wide open. Then the door burst outwards and the Nightmare came running around the ceiling. It was on fire and looked to be in a horrible temper. The pipsqueak was dead for sure.

The Nightmare dropped from the ceiling and landed in front of Hiccup extinguishing the flames of it's skin as it did. Hiccup had not moved an inch since the Nightmare left it's kennel. Now he still stood arms outstretched before the beast. She waited for it to move in for the kill. But it didn't. The Nightmare stood starring at Hiccup and sniffing enthusiastically. What was going on? Why did it just stand there? It had a Viking standing in front of it, yet it remained still.

"Common Hiccup! Give i' to 'm!" The yell, from somewhere in the croud, seemed to make the dragon angry. It lunged for Hiccup. But Hiccup was no longer there. He had rolled backwards on the ground and landed on his feet, and now he was running. The beast leapt after him, but Hiccup changed directions, leaving the dragon to careen into the wall. There was a mighty thud as the stone halted the dragon's progress. A few chuckles rose out of the audience. Hiccup slowed and stopped in the center of the arena, with his back to the Nightmare. The dragon looked somewhat dazed, but still plenty angry, and it began aligning itself for what would probably be a jump at the boy, who's back was still turned. Just before it could leap however, there was a cataclysmic noise.

First there was an explosion on the far side of the ring. Then there was a second explosion that occurred in the space between Hiccup, and the Nightmare. The second explosion tossed a very thick cloud of dust and dirt into the air. The ring was completely obscured. Then the creaking and groaning of the door mechanics could be heard and many small grunts and cries from within the cloud. Finally the dust settled enough so that she could see.

Against the wall to her right, she saw all of the doors to the dragon enclosures standing open, yet there was not a dragon in sight. On the far side of the arena where the first explosion had occurred, she could see a huge gaping hole in the chain walls of the stadium. And down on the ground, in the center of the arena, was Hiccup. Lying on his back, with his face covered in blood.

Ha. She'd known the shrimp didn't have what it took. It should have been her down there. She actually knew what she was doing. Those were her thoughts, until she saw Hiccup jump to his feet, wiping the blood away as if it were no more than an annoyance.

"Well. It looks as though I'm not gonna get to kill a dragon today. Real shame. Well if that's all then I'm gonna go get washed up." And with that, he turned and strolled to the door. Astrid felt her mouth hanging open. He didn't care. He didn't even care that his opponent had somehow escaped! In fact she thought she'd caught a glimpse of a smile! That was the last straw. After he left would be the perfect time to corner him. It was time for some straight answers.

XXX

Hiccup

"_Well. That went well." _

"_Yes yes, it went great. Now hurry up and get back here!" _He shouldered his way through the front door of his house. Toothless was bouncing slightly and shifting his weight constantly.

"_I know Toothless I know! I feel it too! Just give me a chance to wash this blood off.."_

"_I could do that."_

"_Well I still need to look as if I'm active during the day." _Toothless gave a snort and started pacing. Hiccup decided to leave the blood for him to take care of. He didn't want to take the time to draw water out of the well. He made straight for the back door as soon as he was in the house. Only to find his way blocked, by a blue clad female Viking, sharpening a knife on a pocket whet stone.

XXX

Toothless

SHE was there! In the room with him! He was running before he even knew what was happening. She was not allowed to be that close to HIS Hiccup! Trees blurred past on either side, one or two branches were snapped off by his passing head. He barely even noticed. Hiccup was taking steps backwards now, trying to retreat towards the steps. Astrid stepped forward and matched his pace. Hiccup turned and bolted, leaping up the steps four at a time with Astrid at his heels. Toothless burst through the treeline and skidded to a stop between Hiccup's house and the one next to it. With one mighty leap and a bit of a squeeze, he was through the window.

He overstepped Hiccup's bed, not wanting to break it. Hiccup came bolting through the door. The boy skidded to a stop against him. He imiediatly pushed his wings forward and pulled Hiccup close to him. It was a good thing the ceiling was so high up in Hiccup's house. Then Astrid came thundering through the door. She slid to a halt. Her eyes bugged, presumably at the sight of Toothless.

Toothless ignored her and began to clean off Hiccup's face. It was a shallow wound but he wished he could have convinced Hiccup otherwise. Surely they would have believed the show without him mutilating himself! Hiccup pulled in a large breath, and then let it out all at once.

"Astrid, what do you want?" The girls mouth opened, and closed again.

"H- Hiccup. Th- That th- thing is li- licking your face."

"Gee really Astrid? I hadn't noticed."

"Wh- Why is it licking your face?" Hiccup sighed again.

"He is cleaning the blood off. He's concerned about my injury."

"H- He?"

"Oh dear it seems I forgot to formally introduce everyone. Astrid, this is Toothless. Toothless, you know who this is. Yup the one who tried to kill me, that's the one. And for some reason, she seems compelled to stalk me as well."

The look on the girl's face was enough to send chuckles shuddering through his body. She seemed thunderstruck, scared, worried, angry, and confused, all on the same face!

"Astrid, me and Toothless have better things to do than to sit here chatting with you. Could you please leave? No, on second thought, don't we were just going anyway. Common bud." Hiccup strode to the window. "You first, your bigger."

Toothless gestured at Astrid with his nose and snarled. "Don't worry bud she can't touch me." _"And if she tries to while your outside, then I'll rip her arms off and strangle her with them." _

That brought a thrum of pleasure to his throat. He squeezed through the window and dropped to the ground below, quickly moving to place the house between him and the rest of the village. Hiccup turned and looked at Astrid who was still frozen near the door.

"Please don't follow us. How would you like it if I showed up in your bedroom in the middle of the night?" And with that, he too leapt from the window. His landing was as soft and as silent as ever, and in moments he was beside him. Toothless felt a purr escape his throat, and he shoved his head against Hiccup's chest. Hiccup laughed and wrapped his arms around. Then they were running, side by side into the forest.

From her place outside of the back door, Astrid starred after them.

Through the connection, Toothless felt Hiccup's face tingle. It felt as if the skin was writhing around. But when he turned to Hiccup, running beside him, all he saw was the blood in his wound thickening and hardening into a line of crimson.

_"That's gonna be difficult to hide."_

_ "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it."_

_ "I wonder why your eyes are normal again."_

_ "Hmm?"_

Memories flew between them.

_"My eyes did that?"_

_ "They did."_

_ "Well I say we forget all of these stupid worries and enjoy ourselves. We just passed an enormous milestone in our lives after all." _He felt an enormous chuckle spasm it's way out of his chest.

_"We have indeed Hiccup! We have indeed."_

And with that, their two shapes disappeared into the shadows of the forest.


	14. Chapter 14

Ok so this chapter isn't as long as I would like it, but it does what it needs to do. Anyway, I got an awesome set of reviews for 13, which helped me along in my creative process to create this chapter! So keep those reviews flowin! Now go read, it's more interesting than listening to me ramble.

Chapter 14

Stoic

It was a disaster. Hiccup had been injured, the ring had been heavily damaged, and every single captive dragon they had owned was gone. Escaped through the hole in the chain barrier. There were reports of them flying eastward. One of each common breed. Most of the villagers had already gone back to their knew houses. A few remained behind with Stoic and Gobber. A few were crawling over the rubble created by the first explosion. What was not clear, was how the vile creatures had escaped from there kennels! Each and every door locking mechanism had been disengaged. Not destroyed, or even damaged as one would expect from a dragon attack, but merely unlocked, as if the beast had waltzed through hole and simply flipped the levers! The beasts couldn't be that smart!

"What do ye make of it Gobber?"

"Something flipped the levers."

"Would you happen to have any thoughts as to what?" He heard some of his stress and annoyance slip into his voice.

"I personally would point my hook at the Night Fury that blew that hole in the ring."

"What?"

"Well what did you think it was Stoic? Only a Night Fury shoots those kindo' fire balls. The Gronkle's is similar but I don't think a Gronkle ever blew blue fire."

He hadn't even noticed the fire that caused the damage. Why was there a Night Fury on Berk in broad daylight? There was no reason for it to be here.

Wait..

"Someone get Astrid. Bring her to my house." And with those words, he turned, and strode haughtily from the ring.

XXX

Hiccup

The clearing was completely empty. The sun was just beginning to set, and the shadows were long and deep. A midsized doe came limping through the trees. Toothless had said that the injured ones were the best to target, that way you didn't take away any of the herds potential to multiply. If you wanted to stay fed, you needed a food source that grew. Fish was great, but despite all the physical changes he had adjusted to, he found he still needed diversity in his diet.

_"Relax. Stop thinking so much."_

_ "How in the hells am I supposed to stop thinking?"_

_ "Would you like me to help?_

_ "If you think it will help, I guess."_

He felt a jolt. Then there was a rushing in his head. Thoughts were moving, very fast. All the thoughts, emotions, feelings, the very substance that made up Toothless' portion of their mind, began to rush outwards. Eventually, there was nothing left of Toothless in his mind. But he could still sense him. All around. It was as if Toothless had broken off from, and surrounded, his mind. Then he felt a prick. It was as if Toothless had jabbed him, hard. Then, he felt one of his thoughts, disappear. Well, not disappear exactly, rather it had flown away. It had followed Toothless. No, Toothless had pulled it away. Then another winked out, and another. Parts of his mind were beginning to disappear. At first he was shocked, afraid! What was happening? Then that was gone too. He didn't feel anxious, or worried, or angry, or even hungry. He simply felt calm. His vision began to darken around the edges.

The doe held his total attention. It had stopped now, near the center of the clearing. He heard the crunch of grass stalks from between the mammal's jaws, as if his head were a few inches from the teeth. He could smell the animalistic, musty odor that emanated from its fur. He was downwind, completely unknown. Slowly, very slowly, his knees began to compress. It was now, or never.

He leapt. The ground fell away and he was flying between the boughs of the nearest trees. As he reached the highest point in the arc his body had generated, the doe's head snapped upwards. He began descending. The doe's feet slowly started to react. Behind the doe he saw Toothless, hanging from one of the trees with his eyes scrunched shut. His body contacted the doe. He threw his arm around its neck and used the momentum of his leap to pull it to the ground. He landed on top of it. The poor creatures legs were kicking and flailing, as it made it's wild, final, attempts at life. He could feel the beat of life through his arms within the creatures neck. His eyes located the exact point. He bit down, and tore upwards. A horrible screech of pain emanated from the thing's ragged throat. He reached out and grabbed the head, and twisted savagely. The doe fell limp.

Toothless dropped from the tree. In an instant, the dragon's mind fell inwards upon Hiccup's and they violently recombined. Thoughts and emotions raged through both of them. Hiccup felt the doe fall from his hands as he rolled over and curled up, trying to keep the maelstrom in his head from tearing him apart. His head felt as though there were small hot coals bouncing around inside. Toothless wasn't faring much better. He was crouched on the ground with all of his appendages, including his tail, clenched up against his body. Eventually, the tangle began to sort itself out. Toothless was the first to recover. He stood and paced to Hiccup's side.

"_I'm sorry. I wasn't careful enough. I lost concentration for an instant, and my control slipped." _Hiccup felt Toothless' nose rest on the left shoulder of his tightly curled body. That one point of connection allowed him to orient, and begin to find himself in the swirling mind that he shared with Toothless. After a few minutes, he was able to unfold. Slowly he raised his head. _"That was well done if it was any consolation. I couldn't have done better myself."_

"_Maybe not, but you would have been able to do it without removing the majority of your mind." _Toothless gurgled out a loud dragon laugh.

"_Or could I? Hiccup that's exactly what I do when I hunt. I separate the distractions in my mind, and push them to the back. That leaves only the parts I need for hunting. The only difference between your hunting and mine, is the fact that you needed help. Now you can practice and soon, you'll be able to do it yourself. _Hiccup glanced down at the doe.

"_It's getting cold. We should eat while it's fresh. You first. No, no I insist."_ Toothless stepped forward and opened the beast's side with a quick movement of his claw. He reached through the hole he had created with his spade shaped nose and began to bite and tear at the organs within. Hiccup stepped around to the other side of the doe and pull his belt knife from it's sheath. Toothless raised an eyebrow from across their meal.

"_You managed to pick that up too?"_

"_I think I ran faster than I have in my entire life."_

"_I didn't want to give you that mark though. If I had been off for even a tiny bit, I could have blinded your eye."_

"_But you weren't. And I'm not. So let's just move on. Actually, I rather like it."_

"_Like it?" _Toothless' thoughts were incredulous.

"_Yeah. It's distinctive. _He used his knife to slice open the other side of the doe. He began to tear and cut the muscle away with his hands and blade, transferring each new piece into his mouth. Blood was everywhere._ It separates me from them."_

"_Them being Vikings."_

"_Yes. And if this shiny, hard stuff is anything to judge by, It's going to be scales soon too." _

"_Well let me tell you, you're one of the most attractive Vikings I've ever seen."_ Hiccup raised his eyebrow.

"_You've found other Vikings attractive before?"_

"… _huh. I guess not. Allow me to rephrase, you're the most attractive human I've ever laid eyes on. _Hiccup laughed.

"_Much better."_

XXX

Stoic

As the sun began to sink towards the horizon, Stoic the Vast was grumbling to himself. The boy had been doing wonderfully. He had lasted more than a minute without a single weapon or scrap of armor! Then the damned Night Fury had interrupted him. It had to be the same. A black dragon whose image wasn't in the dragon manual. That had to be it. There was a Night Fury running around in the forests of Berk. It had been smart enough to open the arena, blind every human in the area, release every dragon in the ring, and it had given Hiccup a parting mark when it left! The boy would have a scar, straight as a ship's mast, for the rest of his life. That wasn't so bad. Few others had ever born such a scar on their face. It would be a source of awe on the part of others, and pride in him. He could see his house now.

It seemed dark. Perhaps Hiccup had gone to bed. Odd, he was sleeping an awful lot these days. Well, that was to be expected with all of the action he was part of now! The boy was finally becoming a Viking! He stepped inside. The house was cold. Strange, Hiccup usually lit a fire when he was in the house alone. Then he felt a breeze. He squinted into the darkness in the direction the air was flowing. The back door was open. He opened it and stepped through.

And almost fell over Astrid. The girl was sitting on the back porch, starring off into the forest. When Stoic bumped her, she didn't even flinch. She just sat and starred into the distance.

"Astrid?" No response. "Astrid what in the name of Thor's shaggy beard are you starrin at?"

"Hiccup."

"Hiccup?"

"Dragon."

"Astrid you are making absolutely no sense."

"The dragon took Hiccup."

Silence.

"What, did, you, say?"

"The dragon. I saw it. Out there in the tree's. Then Hiccup walked into the woods. It grabbed him. Took him away."

"When!"

Astrid said nothing for a full minute, and then;

"I know where it will be."

"You do?"

"I know where it sleeps."

Stoic ran back through the house, knocking his chair over as he went. He burst through the front door. Jumping down from the step he looked around wildly, spotting Gobber making his way back towards the smithing stall.

"OI!" Gobber turned. "Get everyone you can together! Anyone who's able bodied and thirsty for revenge! We know where the Night Fury is!" Gobber's eyes popped wide. He turned and took off limping through the village.

"Eh! Up an' at em you buncha lazys! We're goin dragon hunting!"

XXX

Hiccup

The sea breeze was cool and soothing. The salt in the air was a pleasant shock to his lungs. The grass was soft beneath his feet. He could feel it reaching upwards as he rubbed it between his toes. The sun was sinking into the ocean. An amazing collection of colors spilled across the sky. Footfalls resonated through the ground. He was back. Finally.

The foot falls became more intense, and then stopped. _"About time you got back." _A large mass descended above his head. Toothless' head curled over his shoulder and pressed against his chest. He felt himself fall backwards against the massive and scaly wall behind him. The warmth spread through his bare back and eliminated the tiny amount of chill that had existed in the tip of his nose. _The world loses interest when your off. Where did you go anyway?_

"_I forgot to bury the bones. The last thing we want is a hoard of scavengers swarming all over the place. We live here after all." _Hiccup's eyes widened. We. Here. We live here. We as one, call a place home. It was an amazing feeling. He had never truly called the village home. He had spent so many days away from that place, slipping into the forest. It had become a sanctuary. Temporary at best, but still, he had needed it. Now with Toothless here, it seemed, permanent. He could stay here. With Toothless. Forever.

Suddenly the suns light disappeared. He hadn't even realized he'd closed his eyes. Now with the light gone, they popped open. His gaze was met with a barrier of scale. Toothless had brought his wings forward, passed his shoulders, and surrounding his own head, along with Hiccup. He turned, and took one step back, placing his back against the membrane of Toothless' wings. Before him, two orbs of emerald fire were revealed, floating in the darkness. His eyes felt hot, as if he were about to cry.

He heard Toothless take in a sharp breath. _"Hiccup, look." _And there was an image in his head. A second pair of orbs floating in the darkness, glowing with light, though these were a different shade of green, darker. They were smaller as well, but there were still shaped the same. The shapes within the orbs were oblong, tall and thin.

"_Is that, me?" _The larger orbs grew even larger, and Hiccup felt something brush against his face.

"_That's you."_ He leaned into the contact. Toothless' face was so familiar to him. As his cheek passed over ridge and smooth space alike, he was able to picture it exactly through the darkness. Almost as if he had been lead there by forces beyond his knowledge, he found his lips pressed against those of Toothless.

His eyes widened. Last night, he had been in the clutches of instinct. Now, he was fully in control. He stayed there for a long time feeling the tiny scales slide between his lips. Toothless seemed to be frozen. The dragon did not move a muscle. He was waiting, watching, observing. He wanted to know what Hiccup would do. Almost without thought, slid one hand down Toothless' neck until it rested on his shoulder. Then, his tongue slipped shyly out, and tasted the scales of a Night Fury.

It was the same strange paradox as his scent. Sour, and yet sweet at the same time. Then the taste intensified. His tongue, had met it's counterpart. At first, they curled around each other, simply content to finally meet. Then they began to dance. One would make a move, and the other would reply in turn. Sometimes they were coy, other times bold. One would make a playful flick, or stroke of the other, and then dart back before the other could respond. Then, something clicked into place. Hiccup felt his tongue, slide into the split of Toothless'. The twin prongs of Toothless' tongue quickly rotated and wrapped themselves securely about Hiccup's.

Something triggered inside Hiccup. He could feel a tingling in his shoulder. The left one. Where Toothless had marked him, claimed him, made him his. Heat flooded through Hiccup's body. Pure, undiluted fire burned within him. The constant drumming pain tripled in intensity. Then he moved his head to the side. Soon he had moved so far that his tongue broke it's embrace with Toothless'. Instead, it ranged out along the lines of Toothless' face, tracing each and every detail. Toothless began to thrum, deep in his throat, especially as Hiccup traced over the eyeridge.

"_Hiccup." _The boy paused. _"before this goes any farther, let's go back to the cove." _Hiccup thought about it for a fraction of a second. The cove had a readymade bed of soft fluffy ashes.

Hiccup nodded.


	15. Chapter 15

Gawd! This chapter took way longer than I thought it would! Good news is it's one of the longer ones! Anyway, it turns out that some one likes this story enough to fan art it! You should check it out by removing the spaces from this link:

http:/Aveku-chan-Kataang . deviantart . com/art/Dragon-eyes-279839154

As usual your reviews are vital! Stay spicy my friends.

_**WARNING. THIS CHAPTER HAS THE FULL RATING OF M BESTOWED UPON IT FOR TOOTHCUP YAOI SMEXINESS. CARRY ON.**_

Chapter 15

Astrid

This was it. Finally. That dragon had done nothing for the last few days, but bring her strife, misery, and angst, through Hiccup. Soon it would be dead. That huge ditch was obviously the place where it slept. She knew where it was, and the column of Vikings behind would be her support. Each and every one of them carried a weapon of some description, and a few toted lengths of weighted chain, with hooks that could bite into the skin and weigh down a dragon trying to fly away. When they found it, it wouldn't stand a chance. They shouldered their way through the foliage and shrubbery, making their own path.

Once it was gone, Hiccup would most likely start to act normal again. That would be a relief. She didn't like the new, self assured, bold Hiccup. For some reason, all the other youth had swallowed his show of ability whole. Not a single one noticed the things that she did. The fact that no matter what dragon he faced, Hiccup commanded power over them. He didn't defeat them, or even avoid them. They simply would not attack him.

Her eyes popped open wide. They refused to attack him. His house. During that raid that overshadowed all raids, Hiccup's house had been completely untouched. It had been as if the dragons hadn't even noticed it. He had stood, unafraid, on the roof, close to the sky, where all of the villages' assailants were to be found. None had tried to kill him. None had even gone near him! Then, that wretched Night Fury had appeared, as if stepping from the shadow of the night itself, and carried him off. And he had gone with it. Willingly. Happily. The boy didn't give a damn about the village, and she would make him pay.

XXX

Hiccup

The forest was as clear as if it were day. The moonlight that shown down through the foliage was more than enough to illuminate every detail of their surroundings. Each and every vein of each and every leaf was cast in vivid relief, and every knot and shift in the bark was as obvious as though they were standing centimeters away from it. As they walked, they were surrounded in breathtaking beauty.

And Hiccup barely even noticed it. Toothless held his attention as though he were hunting him. His senses feasted on each and every movement of that smooth, supple body. The muscles bulged and stretched, and each and every movement was nearly completely silent. The only truly audible sound from the dragon as he walked, was the slow, windy sounds of his breathing. Hiccup was in agony. The fire had not cooled. And the walking was only making it worse. He reached one hand out to the side and rested it on the smoothly undulating scales of Toothless' twin shoulder. The limbs of his mate's for shoulders were very strange. The larger limb, which was the wing, rose slightly from the rest of the body, before curving over his long, sinuous back and folding in. The other limb, which was the leg, extended almost straight downwards.

Hiccup took all of this in through touch, hearing, and smell. His eyes did not get as much opportunity to feast as the rest of his senses. A few swift glances were all he could manage. He knew that should he keep all of his focus on Toothless, he would trip, or fall over something and look a fool. The fire within him was shifting, concentrating on the hand that explored the dragon's shoulder. He had no idea how close they were to the cove, but he knew that it would be difficult to make it all the way there.

Then he felt a change. Under his hand, the muscles in Toothless' shoulder and neck began to tighten faster, and the dragon began to pull ahead.

"_Toothless?"_

"_If you keep thinking like this, you'll have me succumbing as well. Tonight will be special. And the cove is the only place for us to be. _Toothless leapt ahead and began bounding through the forest. Hiccup almost objected, after all, how was he supposed to keep up with a running dragon. Then, before he even knew what was happening, his feet surged ahead and he was running. Fast.

Toothless swiftly came back into view as they dodged and weaved through the trees together. Hiccup could feel his heart beat begin to pound in his ears. The pain that accompanied each beat intensified. His ears were filled with the dull roar of the rushing wind, along with the soft thudding that followed Toothless' every bound and leap. He was alongside Toothless now, running faster than he had in his entire life. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder. He glanced to the side to see Toothless' tail tip whipping back out of reach. He saw the corner of the dragon's mouth curve upwards, before he veered to the left and away from Hiccup.

Hiccup felt a smile of his own peek it's way across his lips. Then he leapt. And landed. For just a moment, he was crouching on the vertical wall of a tree, as if it were the ground. Then he leapt again, upwards. This sent him flying horizontally in the direction Toothless had taken, and he was back on his feet, running with speed that he had never imagined possible.

XXX

Stoic

This was strange. Of course it was. Hiccup was right in the middle of it. Anything that boy touched turned to chaos! The future had seemed so bright just a few hours ago and now where was he? Sneaking and creeping through the undergrowth in the middle of the night, in order to go and rescue Hiccup, or avenge his death. He shuddered at that thought. Dragons killed Vikings without hesitation, but according to Astrid, this one didn't. It had to be some kind of devil. Stoic began to move faster, and his Vikings followed.

It was probably torturing Hiccup right now!

XXX

Toothless

Not only had his human filled out, it seemed that those new muscles had an absurd amount of power in them. Hiccup was keeping pace just fine. No human should be able to run that fast! Now his Hiccup was running alongside beside him, as trees flew past on either side.

Suddenly, Hiccup leapt. But not upwards. Hiccup threw himself to the left and brought his weight down with his left shoulder, spinning himself mid air. He passed over the scaly back of his friend, and Toothless felt a hand brush along his neck. On his other side, Hiccup hit the ground running and shot ahead of him, throwing a smirk over his shoulder.

"_Your it." _Toothless felt his blood heat. Hiccup's touch had left a spot on his back that was warm and tingled. Toothless felt a shiver run up his spine. He let out a deep dragon guffaw and went chasing after the boy. He was like a two legged little deer! Leaping and bounding through the trees as if he could never tire. Unfortunately, he made a mistake. As he looked over his shoulder at Toothless, smiling and laughing, he did not see the edge of the cove rapidly coming into view. Toothless did not even have time to cry out a warning, before the small human ran careening over the edge.

Toothless felt his paws cease all movement and dig into the ground. He skidded to a complete stop at the very edge of the cove as a quiet, strangled sound escaped from his throat. There was Hiccup, midway between the lip of the cove and the hard, unforgiving ground. In another few seconds, he'd be mortally wounded, or even dead on impact.

"_Your faith astounds me Toothless." _Hiccup hit the ground with his legs absorbing much of the impact, and then shifted forwards, allowing the rest of his momentum to dissipate as a roll. That was amazing. Hiccup had known exactly what to do. Perhaps it was a result of his new instincts.

He leapt down into the cove.

XXX

Hiccup

Hiccup was just picking himself up and dusting himself off, when he was hit in the chest by what felt like a rock. He found himself on his back again. Wait, it hadn't been a rock. It was Toothless' tail. The dragon now stood over him, pinning him to the ground with one paw.

"_Don't, You, Ever, scare me like that again." _Toothless' voice was low, quiet, menacing._ "You WILL be more careful, or I'll just have to carry you everywhere." _The emerald orbs above him burned with an immense intensity. Hiccup reached up and touched that scaly face that was so very important to him.

"_I promise I'll be more careful, you big sappy reptile."_

"_Sappy am I? I should burn you alive for that you pitiful human." _Hiccup chuckled.

"_Thing is, we both know that you won't. And, we need a new bed. The other is on the other side of the lake." _Toothless leapt off in the direction of the wall. There was a flash of blue light followed by a contented rumble. Hiccup slowly stood and turned, there was Toothless standing beside a bed of freshly warmed coals. Hiccup stepped quickly to the dragon's side and threw his arms around the scaly neck. He felt the slow, deliberate pulses of life within his mate's body. Toothless chuckled and lowered his head, and Hiccup with it down towards the bed. Hiccup landed on his back. He knew that the coals should have felt blindingly, horribly hot, but they didn't, it was just a warm tingle on his back. His pants however had a different opinion. As soon as they touched the bed they began to smoke. And soon after that they burst into flames.

Still Hiccup felt nothing more than vague, tingly warmth. Toothless appeared above him. The moonlight refracted off of his scales, making each appear as though were a tiny night sky with thousands of stars. Hiccup couldn't repress a small gasp at the beauty of it. In the center of the shining face, were to twin orbs of green fire, glowing softly down at him. This was right. This was utterly and unquestionably the way of things. He belonged to this god of the night. This lord of shadows. A rumbling purr emanated from the dragon's chest.

"_You're making me blush and that's an accomplishment seeing as I can't blush." _Toothless' head lowered and his nose began to make small circles on Hiccup's stomach. The heat was returning now. Spreading out from the spot where his body contacted that of his dragon. A deep heat that reached into his very bones, and destroyed any semblance of cold. Then Toothless' nose began to travel upwards. Very slowly, still making it's small circling motions, it advanced over his chest. Toothless' placed his paw down on the space his nose had just vacated and locked Hiccup in place. He could not move. Which made the sensations spreading outward from his chest all the more tangible. Then, as Toothless reached his neck, he felt the warmth intensify. There were two points now from which the warmth spread. There could only be one thing that felt like that. The two tips of a split tongue. He felt a shudder pass through his body.

Above him, Toothless' eyes seemed as big as the sky. Soft, green and glowing. He was falling. Those eyes held pools of utter blackness. Those pools were getting bigger, and bigger. They enveloped him. There was nothing but darkness all around. Flowing, soft, caressing darkness. He was surrounded by Toothless. The darkness was pressing around his face, dancing over each of his features. Then it was hovering about his lips. Without hesitation, or worry, he invited it within. The darkness caressed his tongue and slipped past to explore his jaw and his teeth.

XXX

Toothless

As with the last time, Hiccup's taste was intoxicating. He felt as though his tongue were touching pure shadow. Darkness given substance. That was what his Hiccup was. The taste was savory, yet sweet. Velvety, yet with a hard edge. It was a paradox. Lovely and amazing in its contradictory nature. Hiccup's hands had risen, and settled on the paw that held him. Such a feather light touch he had. It was infuriating. Like an itch that you couldn't scratch. It tickled to badly that he almost stopped to bite at his own leg. Then the hands started to travel upwards. Tracing the contours of the muscle that allowed his leg to function, leaving a tingling trail of warmth as they went. They touched a spot on the inside of his leg, just underneath where it met his torso. He felt his entire body twitch. Hiccup paused, then touched the spot again. Again the entirety of his body reacted. He felt a smile break across Hiccup's lips. The boy began to rub small circles around that spot. Shudders and spasms began rolling up and down his entire length, from his nose, to his tail tip. He couldn't stop the bewildered snarl from escaping his lips.

Hiccup chuckled, and his hands moved on. Toothless felt his body settle.

"_You can be mean sometimes."_

"_You enjoyed it." _Rather than dignifying THAT with a response, Toothless separated his mouth from Hiccup's and began to sample the tastes of his skin. Gradually he moved downwards over his chest and stomach. So many different tastes, yet all were Hiccup. He had to move his paw which set Hiccup's movement free, slightly. A flickering thought of disappointment fluttered across the link, and then vanished. That was strange. The boy liked being restrained?

Toothless disregarded that thought to concentrate on more important matters. It was Hiccup's turn to suffer. His tongue had traveled downwards and veered to the side, coming to rest on the boy's upper thigh. Without warning, he flicked it through the space that connected his leg to the rest of his body. Hiccup yelped and his body actually left the ground. Toothless did not give him a chance to recover. He suspected that the soft sack of flesh that hung beneath his rider's manhood, was somewhat sensitive. And he was right. One pass with his tongue had the boy writhing and shaking. It had the desired effect. Hiccup's manhood began to rise and take shape more than doubling in size. Toothless flicked it with his nose and watched it sway back and forth, back and forth.

"_You can be mean sometimes too." _Hiccup's thoughts were actually shaking!

"_Yes, but you're enjoying it." _Toothless let out a laugh and began to stroke the protrusion of his Hiccup's flesh, up and down, with his tongue, allowing it to slip into the slit. Hiccup was panting now, his eyes were closed and he seemed to have lost control of several of his muscles. Every now and then a seemingly random patch of skin would start to twitch and then would subside. Humans were very odd. Then, he stopped, pulling his head back. Hiccup's eyes snapped open and he almost sat up. Then, his eyebrow rose.

XXX

Hiccup

That big scaly lump was trying to make him suffer? Fine. Two could play at that particular game. He dug his hands into the cooling ash he was lying on, and pulled himself forward, farther under Toothless. Almost immediately he was hit in the stomach by something heavy, warm and smooth. My turn. He pulled himself forward again. The large heavy object now rested on his chest. He could feel Toothless starting to form some kind of statement in his head, but he didn't let him finish. He lifted the oblong, object in his hand and flicked his tongue across the very tip.

Toothless let out a long vibrating snarl. Upon closer inspection of the object in his hands, Hiccup realized that it wasn't entirely smooth. Rather, it was covered in scales so small, they had the feel and flexibility of skin. He let his hands travel down to the base where it joined with Toothless' body and back to the tip. Toothless was rocking from side to side above him. Hiccup could feel that his eyes were shut. He had Toothless at his mercy. He touched his tongue to the large piece of flesh just below the tip. It was enormous, almost the size of his arm! It tasted quite sharp, spicy. The musk that was normally rather understated was now almost completely overwhelming. Hiccup found himself craving it. That taste could satisfy his hunger for the rest of his life. His tongue began to travel down, and then back up in slow, deliberate strokes. Toothless twitched and shuddered above him.

Hiccup took as much of the tip into his mouth as he could, slowly rolling it around his tongue. Toothless let out a screech and his hips involuntarily moved forward, pushing his protrusion to the back of Hiccup's mouth until it was brushing against the back of his throat. He felt himself about to gag, but suppressed it and chuckled instead. The vibration forced another screech from Toothless' throat. Hiccup smiled and let the tip slide from his mouth.

See how you like it.

XXX

Astrid

The sound split the night. It drilled its way into her ears and set her teeth on edge. It was a shriek unlike anything she'd heard before. Not aggressive, not frightened, not any emotion that she could recognize in a dragon. That was a bad sign. The unknown was bad. It always was. She turned to the chief.

"I know the area ahead. We're getting close. Permission to lead a small scouting party to assess the situation?"

Stoic considered a moment, and then nodded. Astrid waved a hand to two other Vikings and slipped into the brush while the rest of the column halted. Time to find out why the dragon was interested in Hiccup.

XXX

Hiccup

The feeling was amazing. It started as a simple pressure, warm and insistent. It grew into slight pain as he felt himself part, to admit Toothless. The shadows that swirled around him, and now within him. The heat at his center had waxed into fire. An inferno so intense that it brought tears to his eyes. Toothless began to pull backwards, causing a shudder to run through Hiccup's body. The friction it produced within his body caused more pleasure than he could possibly deal with at one time. At first he thought someone was shouting, before he realized that it was him. There was no pain, though whether Toothless was simply siphoning it away, he didn't know. Maybe he simply was blocking it from his mind.

Toothless began pushing forward again. Faster this time. Hiccup did not know how he was managing it, but when his hips bumped with those of his lover, he knew that he had taken the entire length. Toothless retreated once again. His body was shaking and pressure was building. The next thrust was monumental. Toothless seemed to impact the fire burning at his core. It caused an explosion of heat and ecstasy. Toothless was speeding the tempo, each time hitting that spot deep within him, and setting off another explosion each time. The thoughts of his mind were becoming confused. Was he giving? Or receiving? Did he have four legs? Or was he on all fours? Did he have his tail hooked around his lover's waist? Or was he encircled by his lover's tail? Then, he decided that it didn't matter. He allowed himself to be swept away in the ever increasing tempo of Toothless' body.

Suddenly, the pressure released. His gut was filled with liquid fire. His cry was matched with a screech from Toothless. Then darkness descended on the world.

XXX

Astrid

The most horrible noise yet rang forth as Astrid approached the edge of the ditch. It sounded like a combination of a draconic screech, and a human yell of pain. Poking her head up over the ditch, she was just in time to see the dragon fall onto it's side, pulling a naked Hiccup against it with it's tail. It dropped it's wing and obscured the boy. Now was the time to move.


	16. Chapter 16

Hello everyone! Look! I met my deadline! Good thing too. This chapter doubles as a gift. Happy Birthday Aveku! This one's for you! Now I'd like to warn all readers not to jump to conclusions! Please do not send any kind of hatemail until you actually know what's going on. But you should still review! Onward!

Chapter 16

Stoic

The waiting was horrible. Beyond horrible. What if the beast had found the scouts? No he'd never known Astrid to fight quietly. What if it had caught them by surprise? Unlikely, a Viking's senses are sharp. They would find the dragon first. Those noises they had heard earlier. What had they been? They had been bestial, yet he was sure he'd heard strains of a human voice, lost somewhere within the shrieks and roars. Perhaps Hiccup was fighting! At least making it mad enough to cry out while it tortured him! That was his Hiccup. His Hiccup wouldn't go down without a fight.

The brush began to rustle. Every single Viking present either grabbed some weapon, or gripped the ones they were already holding, tighter. Stoic stood and hefted his war hammer. Then Astrid walked slowly into view, hands outstretched. She was a smart girl. She knew that this clearing was full of tense, volatile warriors. She was aware that a sudden appearance could have gotten her an ax in the shoulder. Astrid would go far.

She walked with purpose, straight up to Stoic and spoke in a very quiet voice.

"The dragon is asleep, about three hundred yards from here, in a large depression in the ground. It has Hiccup with it."

"How's Hiccup?"

"We didn't get close enough to see, but it looked like he was unconscious. And naked."

"Naked?"

"Naked."

This was the strangest and most abjurd situation that he had ever encountered. A dragon, that didn't return to the nest, didn't steal food, and took prisoners with apparently no purpose in mind. This dragon would pay. It was making fools of them! It thought that it could attack a village full of Vikings, steal one of their children, and then take up residence a few miles away! This dragon would be made an example of. As soon as they had it subdued, they would drag it back to the village, roast it, and feast in memory of the honored dead! And in revenge for his humiliation, Hiccup would strike the death blow!

XXX

Hiccup

We floated. The melodic strains of darkness drifted past on all sides, caressing our bodies. Our larger body enveloped and engulfed the smaller. Our heart beats could not be distinguished. They beat as one. We feel the tingling sensations in our smaller body, as the hardened blood cracks, and falls away from the puncture wounds in our smaller left shoulder. We know that black scales glisten beneath. Then, Toothless separates himself, letting Hiccup dream on without him. He stands in within Hiccup's mind gazing at the golden pillars of mist. He noticed something now that he had not before. In a few places, the mist had been replaced. Tendrils of blackness now ran through many of the walls and shapes of Hiccup's thoughts. Toothless was versed enough in the ways of his own mind to know what this was. These were his own thoughts, running their course through Hiccup's mind.

Curiously, he withdrew into himself, leaving Hiccup temporarily alone. He opened his inner eye. There were the dark twisting tendrils that were his thoughts, but between them was something amazing. Little flashes of golden light appeared here and there before winking out. Little balls of gold floated here and there among the twisting tendrils of blackness. Toothless felt a human smile pull about his lips. They were truly overlapped. Their mind was a composition of their thoughts, working together. Nothing could part them now. And if they did, they would most likely die. Even here, secure inside his own mind, he could feel a tendril of thought running out and away to Hiccup. He rejoined fully with Hiccup's mind, and let his own mind go to dream alongside Hiccup.

XXX

Astrid

It would be tricky. The depression was mostly circular. The dragon was curled up against the far wall. That was good. They had sent five Vikings down to the other side of the rim with the weighted hooks and the chain net. They could immobilize the dragon after they got Hiccup away from it. The rest of the force would be separated in two. Half for the rim, they would stay behind the beast and make sure it could not escape over the rim. The other half would advance on the floor of the depression, she having found the access that both she and Hiccup had used all those days before.

She was part of the rim party. It was disappointing. She had hoped to be part of the charge. She knelt inches from the edge, watching the Vikings advance silently around the lake. There were orders to not slay the beast unless it was absolutely necessary. Stoic probably would use the thing as a morale booster. She didn't care as long as it died.

Suddenly, on the other side of the ditch, something in the shadows shifted.

XXX

Hiccup

The world rushed into his head in a dizzying swirl of colors, sounds, and scents. He hit the ground and rolled several times. The moss and earth scraped his back and arms as they rushed over his skin. He let out a grunt as he came to a halt on his back, starring at the night sky above him. Then the burning started. It felt as though his back were being pierced by needles of ice. It was so very cold that it felt like fire. He screamed. But then his scream was completely swallowed by a shriek from Toothless. He turned his head and was met with a horrific sight. Toothless was on his feet, with his wings spread wide. Too wide. His wings were being stretched out to either side. In the end of both wings were hooks, attached to lengths of iron chain. The chain had Vikings at either end, pulling, stretching. With each twitch of Toothless' wings, and with each shift in the chains, icy fire lanced through Hiccup's back. Both he and Toothless cried out in pain. Hiccup felt himself curling inwards. The pain was too much. It would sweep him away. His body curled in on itself. Then the footsteps. Two large heavy feet came to rest beside him. He squinted upwards at hairy face above him. The face had a worried look. Maybe it considered him a threat. Then it got closer. Hiccup did his best to shrink away, but he could not go far before the earth beneath him halted his retreat. The face stopped, a mere foot from his own. It was the most terrifying thing Hiccup had ever experienced. Then one of the thing's meaty hands rose, and fell on his shoulder.

The cold was intense. It was worse than ice. Icy temperatures, he was familiar with. This was Berk after all. This degree of cold was beyond absurd. It slowly began to seep outwards from the meaty fingers that gripped his shoulder, and permeated first his entire arm, and then slowly began to work its way into his chest. Soon he began to shiver. The cold was too much. Each one of his muscles twitched and convulsed, in a sadly lacking attempt to give some semblance of heat back to his body. It was no use. After a matter of seconds the cold had rushed passed his collar bone and up into his neck.

"_Hiccup!"_

He let his head fall sideways. There was Toothless. The dragon's eyes were full of fear and pain. Hiccup stretched out the arm that still had some feeling in it, reaching for Toothless, for his last anchor to his own sanity.

Then, one of the grotesque creatures stepped up, and struck a devastating blow to the side of the dragon's head. The beautiful, scaly body fell limp, the eyes closed, the wings relaxed, and Toothless collapsed. A scream, the likes of which no human had ever heard before, formed itself within Hiccup's chest, and tore its way out of his throat. The thing above him jerked away, but stayed there, hovering. Still carrying the scream, Hiccup felt the cold reach his face. His eyes seemed to be freezing. That was the only way to describe it. And as they cooled and hardened, he saw his vision shift slightly out of focus, turning the world into a vague haze for a brief moment. Then he refocused. But his eyes were not working properly. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to solidify the image they saw. The night was suddenly much darker, and his previous access to the details of his surroundings, was no more. He felt blind, yet he could see, barely.

Finally, as the cold spread to the rest of his body, Hiccup succumbed, to the welcoming embrace of darkness.

XXX

Hiccup

He was walking. The forest all around him was cool and comforting. The moon burned bright above his head, and beside him, there stalked a shadow. Its presence comforted him. They were leaving. Going far, far away. The shadow pressed itself against his side and he felt a surge of heat spread out from the point of contact. Now the trees were thinning out. The heat spreading over his body reached his face. The night sharpened and detail spread over his surroundings. The sky above lit up like fire, as star after star, after star leaped into being. The colors were beautiful, they weren't all white and cold, there were vibrant reds and cooler blues, flickering greens and shimmering yellows. In front of him stretched the sea, and at his feet, were the cliffs. The shadow beside him sat and towered over him. Everything was perfect. Then, there was a flash of metal, a scream, the feel of hot liquid on his hands and face, and then he was falling.

XXX

Toothless

The waking was dark, and heavy with pain. He could feel blood running down the side of his head, dripping on the stone beneath him. He couldn't move. He was locked in place by wooden and metal bands, wrapping him in a cruel embrace. Where was he? What had happened? Where was Hiccup? He started. Where was Hiccup? The pain in his head was not just the throbbing of his wound. Half of his mind was missing. The flashes of golden light, Hiccup's grand and sculpted mind of gold. Gone. He through himself outwards in a search for the missing component. Every thought, every feeling hurt. The mind is not made to work in two pieces. He could not find Hiccup.

But there was something. A small curled, hard, cold thing. It was not a mind, but it was constructed of thoughts. Wait. The other half of his? Hiccup?

_"Hiccup!" _It felt as if his head had been struck by a hammer as he shouted. The small thing did not respond. The only thoughts on the surface were of cold, desolation, pain. The thing could not comprehend anything else. All it felt was pain. Cold and pain. Memory struck Toothless like a third hammer.

They had been ambushed. He had been woken from slumber by a rock rapping him on the head. On looking up, he had only seen wickedly sharp hooks flying towards him from two directions. He had reacted without thinking, tossing Hiccup off to the side to save him serious harm, then throwing up his wings to shield his face. Unfortunately, that had been exactly what they wanted. The hooks had dug into his wing fringes, catching on the thin bones that provided his wings, shape. Then he had been immobilized. He would not move without horrible pain to himself, and he could not use his fire, as most of his assailants were far too close to Hiccup. Then that hairy brute with the hammer had given him a whack.

His head throbbed. He decided that it might be a good idea to open his eyes. This, he did very, very slowly. The light was miniscule, but the outline of a large door could be seen, directly in front of him. The room that he could see was bare stone, all around. This was bad. This seemed to be one of those holding cells that the Vikings used to keep the dragons they captured. He was trapped. He could not even use his fire. His muzzle was clamped shut by a band of iron and each of his paws, were bolted to a wooden platform beneath him. He was completely, without hope. With a sigh, and a closing of his eyes, he fell downwards into comforting darkness.

XXX

Astrid

Now what was wrong with him? Hiccup refused to stop causing her trouble, even when he was unconscious! Why she had been chosen to stand watch over him in his bed, she had no idea. But Hiccup didn't move. And that was the problem. He'd been asleep for several hours now. In all that time he had not even twitched. His breathing was light, and shallow, as if he were trying very hard to remain as still as possible. If he would just hurry and wakeup, she could call for someone and leave the matter in their hands. Untill then, she stayed where she was, starring at the boy's pale, scarred face. She had to admit, that was a very impressive scar on his face. A vertical line of crimson, seeming to begin under his left eyelid, and travel downwards, straight as an arrow along his cheek and below his jaw.

The scar was not normal however. Nothing about this boy seemed to be normal. He didn't even injure in a normal fashion! The scar was straight as an arrow, and instead of puckered red skin, there seemed to be some kind of hardened blood filling the crack. She reached a hand out and touched the scar. It was warm to the touch, and very, very hard. Then Hiccup twitched. He began to convulse violently as though he were having a knife drawn down his face. Astrid pulled her hand away. The boy calmed. He didn't respond well to anyone touching him. No matter whom it was, Hiccup began to shudder and shake without fail until the contact was released.

Just sitting here next to his bed was so aggravating. There was nothing interesting in the room to look at except for Hiccup. And he hadn't moved a hair's worth since he got here. She wondered if he had other injuries. They'd said he was hurt bad. Curiosity was too much for her. She reached over and pulled the blanket that covered him down towards his feet.

She gasped. The wound from her ax was still there in his right shoulder. But it was no longer a wound. It was covered over, with shiny black plates. Scales. Dragon scales. Not only that. Hiccup's other shoulder was marred by a bite, presumably from the beast that had held him. It was obvious. It couldn't be anything but a bite. But the punctures were not fresh. They too were covered over in hard black plates. The only thing that made her sure it was a wound, was the distinctive jaw shape of the scale pattern. She was about to cry out, when there was a tiny sound.

It sounded like a slight cracking, as if a tiny pool of ice was breaking, or a miniscule piece of glass. Her direction was directed to Hiccup's face. The scar that ran down from his left eye, was breaking. She would see tiny lines spreading downwards from the eye was the covering that she had taken for skin, broke away. Beneath was black. Small pieces fell one at a time, slowly revealing what was beneath. More scales.

XXX

Stoic

Astrid sent the messenger running. He arrived at the mead hall in record time. Stoic was listening to several opinions from his older and more experienced advisors. The messenger was through the door and whispering in Stoic's ear in a matter of seconds. Stoic stood and asked that the advisors discuss among themselves.

The house was still unusually cold and silent. Stoic was especially aware of the creaking of the old staircase as he made his way up to his son's room. Apparently he still hadn't woken, but more scales were appearing. He was through the door and across the room in three strides. Astrid did not look up. She sat in her chair, starring at Hiccup's face. He found his gaze drawn there as well. Hiccup's scar was no longer a scar. It was worse. A line of black scales traveled straight down his face. The positioning made it strange. It looked as if Hiccup's left eye was leaking ink. The scales were small, and closely fit. If you didn't look closely, it looked as if the boy merely had a black mark on his face. But there was no denying the thing's true nature.

That dragon, had done something to his son, and it would pay dearly. Hiccup would strike it's death blow when he was well enough. And it was as Stoic thought these words, that Hiccup's eyes twitched. And slowly, ever so slowly, they slid open. Stoic felt so happy he wanted to jump and dance! But that would have to wait. He dropped to one knee beside Astrid and clasped Hiccup's hand in his own.

"Hiccup? Son? How are you feeling?" As soon as he touched the boy, his lip began to quiver. Then the rest of his body followed. Hiccup began to shudder violently. Quickly Stoic released his hand. Hiccup slowly stilled, and turned his head to look at him.

"Hiccup? Can you speak? What do you remember?" The boy said nothing. He just stared back at him. It reminded him of that other time he'd managed to speak with his son. He had spoken with a voice completely void of emotion. And now, his face was just as empty. The dragon had done this. Hiccup had been like this since he came home, and it was the dragon's fault. It would die tomorrow, when the sun was at its peak.

XXX

Toothless

Being unable to move, is not very helpful when one is trying to escape. Toothless couldn't even see a way he could escape if he were free to move. Fortunately he was not forced to wait very long. It wasn't long after he regained consciousness that very loud clanking and thudding noises resounded from the opposite side of the door. Well, the Vikings were at least considerate enough to grant him a quick death. But what would his death do to Hiccup? The pain his halfmind was causing him would probably be worse for Hiccup. He had lost a larger portion of thoughts. He might even have gone insane!

The door swung outward. Intense sunlight lanced into the cell, utterly blinding him. He felt the platform beneath him shudder, and begin to slide. Slowly, very slowly the world began to resolve out of the intense white. The arena surrounded him. The kill ring, the Vikings called it. The chain walls and ceiling constricted the space, insuring he would not escape even if he was not restrained. What remained of the village was crowded around the outer ring, outside of the chains. The damage he had done to the floor and wall was also gone. Industrious little gremlins.

At the far end of the arena, gates began to swing open. Who would it be? Probably the chief, ceremoniously taking revenge for the kidnapping of his son. The doors finished their inward arc and three figures appeared. The first was massive and hairy, easy to identify, Stoic the Vast. The second was rather small and it's garments swung as it walked. A flash of blue and yellow. Astrid. The third…

No. No. What was he doing here? Why was the chief doing this? Probably mocking him before sending him falling into the void. The human had no right how dare it.

"_Hiccup! What's going on?" _No response. The boys mind was still a tiny lifeless ball of pain and cold. Astrid seemed to be supporting him. He could barely even walk. The three were nearing the dragon. The four that had pulled him out of the cell stood off to the side. Stoic stopped a few meters from him.

"People of Berk! This monster has terrorized our homes for generations! It has slaughtered our warriors, and our children!"

Hardly. I specialize in destruction, not slaughter. I may have killed a few people by coincidence, but they were just standing under the wrong building at the wrong time.

"This beast has hurt my son! And now, he shall have his revenge!" The Vikings sent up a mighty cheer and started to stamp their feet.

Hiccup was catatonic. He felt nothing but cold and pain. Toothless wrapped his mind closely about Hiccup's, feeling the cold and pain soak into his thoughts. _"Hiccup. Hiccup! Wake up! You need to wake up!" _

Stoic stepped back and placed a long, wicked knife in Hiccup's hand, and gave the boy a push forward. Hiccup stumbled forward, looking first at the knife, then at Toothless. His eyes were dead, and round. He slowly raised the knife above his head.

"_Hiccup! Hiccup! Wake up! Wake up damn it all!"_

The tiny Viking's hand fell.

The blade flashed.

There was a rushing sound.

A yell.

Dragon blood splattered the stones of the kill ring.


	17. Chapter 17

Good lord. I begin with apologies to you all! I'm so sorry this took SO long! I've had writers block from hell, these past two weeks. That and school barely allowed me time to sit at my computer! But I have at last finished it! Chapter 17. The resolution to the Epic Cliffhanger of Doom. This chapter is dedicated to a reader who doesn't feel very well at the moment. I'm sure you know who you are. This chapter could be a wee bit confusing do to my use of timeline hopping. Read it through a couple times, see if you can figure it out. Anyway enough of this babble. ONWARD!

Chapter 17

Unknown

Snow. That was strange. There had not been snow for weeks. The weather had been warm and balmy without fail, excepting that one rain storm. How quickly things changed. It was dense snow. The flakes blurred past in such numbers that they almost appeared to be solid. A solid wall of white. It was like that in every direction. The sky was completely obscured by this plethora of white. It was quite annoying. There was no sense of location. This was here, and yet, this was nowhere. Where was here? Even the ground was completely obscured. No shadows, or even a texture. There was nothing. Where was he?

Ahh yes. That was another thing. He had a sense of person. He was somebody. But who? Who was he? Where was he? Why didn't he have a body? And most important of all, why was it so very cold?

XXX

Toothless

The fire that courses through my body, has spilled over. My face burns. There is a hissing sound as it drips and steams on the stones of the arena floor. My left eye is closed. I must keep it closed. The fire burns directly above it. It's a good thing I blinked. The eye should have been shielded from the blade. The blade. That icy cold piece of steel. It had been in a hand just as cold.

Hiccup was crouched before me. His head tucked into his chest, the knife lay in front of him, between us, on the ground. The puddle of blood that was beginning to form beneath my head was getting close to touching the blade. Hiccup was twitching. His muscles rippled and his face was in his hands. I was far too angry. My sympathy and worry were washed away in a torrent of fury.

How could he do this? Why? How dare he? How dare he! A shriek tore it's way out of my throat, accompanied by creeks and groans from around my body. The assortment of wood and metal that held me immobile, protested. Then there was a sharp crack. In an instant, I was free to move. My entire body pushed upwards and my restraints shattered. The fire within me intensified and I felt it's burning course through my body, centering on my heart. There were frenzied shouts and yells as the Vikings scrambled for weapons. I did not spare my attention for them. My eyes were fixed on the tiny Viking in front of me. He that dared to harm me. He that must pay.

With a flick of my paw, he flew across the arena and sprawled on his back. I was after him in one bound, landing with one paw on his stomach and pressing out all of his breath. He lay there. Starring up at me, with eyes that were round with fear, and confusion. I drew in a deep breath, and howled my rage straight into his face. There was never a louder sound. Except… Just before my jaws could close on his head, the Viking's eyes widened. My breath caught. There was a snap.

XXX

Hiccup

The world was a blurry mass of fuzz. The details, indistinct. My eyes felt horrible. Almost as if they were being pressed on by some unknown force.

"Hiccup?" I felt my head whip to the side in reaction to the sound. I was lying on my bed. A bleary image of… something, knelt at my side. It was large. Broad. Ridiculously hairy. There was also a stench. It was pungent. Disgusting. It felt as though somebody was shoving a knife up each of my nostrils. My eyes came somewhat into focus and the thing leaned closer.

"Hiccup? How do you feel?" How did I feel? I felt. Cold. And empty. There was nothing there. It was like something was missing. Not only was it missing, it had left a hole. In fact, that hole was pulsing painfully, through my head. Every beat of my heart caused me agony.

"Wha.. What happened?" My voice sounded horrible. Rough, like there was gravel rattling around in my throat. Speaking hurt as well. Everything seemed to hurt. My entire body ached. Every slight movement of every part of my body was painful. Each joint felt as though it had been knocked several times by a large stone.

"Thank the gods you're alright son! What do you remember?"

Remember? Memory? The past? These things meant nothing. Or rather, I knew what they meant, but there was no true experience attached to them. I couldn't remember. I had no memory. There was no past. There was only a blank, swirling whiteness.

"I… Don't… Remember. Who are you?" The furry thing's eyes widened.

"Hiccup! I'm your father! We live on the island of Berk! We are Vikings! You're my son!" These things all sounded vaguely familiar. Vikings? What were they? That was still a blank. I pushed downwards with my arms, and lifted my torso upwards. My joints protested the movement in silent, fiery voices and I fell back down onto my back. Getting up seemed like a challenge, so I asked another question instead.

"Vikings? What are Vikings?" At this, the giant eyesore launched into a long winded tirade on the virtues of strength, loyalty, and physical prowess. It was all so much of a bore that within a minute, I felt my eyelids begin to droop. They refused to stay open. Yet, as I began to nod and descend into sleep, the thing said something interesting.

"… and most importantly of all, we fight, and slay, dragons." Dragons. That word resounded in my painfully throbbing head. Over and over it echoed, as if bouncing around the confines of my skull. Dragons. They were important. Perhaps that was what had happened. A dragon had hurt him somehow in combat? A head injury? That might explain my lack of memory. Others had been known to lose memories after a head injury.

"um…" What was the right word? "Dad?" Yes that was it. "Was I hurt, fighting… dragons?" The thing's head started to bob up and down.

"Yes son! Yes! We were barely able to reach you in time. I think the dragon must have been torturing you, or something. When we found you, you were completely naked, and you had that bite mark and the slash in your right shoulder." The thing gestured to my shoulder. I looked down at my chest, and was startled to see the pale flesh interrupted by black in several places. I was quite disfigured. "Anyway, we did subdue the beast and we dragged it all the way back here. There's a feast planned tonight, to honor the dead killed in the raid. You shall take your revenge blows against the beast before the feast begins!"

The thing had now broken into a toothy grin, as though it were extremely pleased. That look sent a tiny shiver up my spine. I didn't think I liked my father very much. He seemed to be a violent creature. It sounded as if I was meant to kill something. Could I do that? Perhaps I could. According to my "father", I was a Viking. And if I was interpreting his words correctly, Vikings killed other things all the time. Perhaps I did kill things. Perhaps I should try.

"W- When?" The horrendous creature chuckled.

"Soon my son very soon!" I didn't have anything else to say to this thing. Perhaps if I got up and walked around, I might remember more. I swung my legs over the side of the bed. "Careful Hiccup, you might not be ready to walk ye.." I didn't bother to let him finish. I shoved myself forward and onto my own two legs. At first, they wobbled, and I thought I might fall, but then a giant, meaty arm was placed in front of me, and I leaned on it gratefully. Perhaps my father wasn't such a bad creature. Just ugly. I made for the door. My father made noises of concern behind me, but I ignored them. I needed to see what was out there. Before I got to the door however, I noticed a pile of leather in the corner. It looked like a flat leather pad, and some kind of rod, also wrapped in leather. I thought those seemed vaguely familiar. Perhaps they were important. I would have to find out. Through the door and down the stairs, though I tripped several times, I never quite fell. The front door was my final obstacle. Unfortunately, in my impatience, I tripped before reaching it, and careened straight through it. There was a yelp.

My landing was softened, by another two legged creature, much shorter, and skinnier than my father. It also had yellow hair.

XXX

Unknown

Pain. There was pain all around. Anger. Fierce, burning anger like fire. We were caught in a hurricane. Each individual wind pulled us in a different direction. Threatening to tear our body apart.

Just give me something to shoot at! Please! There! A flick. A swishing sound. A thunk. A shriek of pain. The dragon falls down through the night, and another cry of pain reverberates through the air.

I am flying over the human village. It is boring. They never see me. I do is destroy their towers and their war machines, with impunity. Wrapped in the Night, they cannot see me. One shot. An explosion. The queen has forced me to fine-tune my aim. I never miss anymore. Not for forty years. Have I really been here that long? Doing nothing but destroying random buildings. The wretched queen needed to die. She was ancient already, but surely no creature should live as long as she had. I can hear her cracked, dusty, archaic voice, whispering in my head. All these years, and I still wasn't able to resist her. It really was pathetic. I was pathetic. I must be the most useless Shade ever born. The humans had a different name for me. Night Fury. It was rather interesting. I liked it. It implied both my power, and my affinity with the darkness. Perhaps these humans weren't totally pathetic. Then, my wings snapped closed. My legs folded into my body. What was happening? I was diving without meaning to! Fire exploded in my tail. I screamed as I fell. The land quickly filled my vision, and the trees began to reach for me. They tore at my scales and tried to scratch me. The fire the burned in my tail, suddenly disappeared. Darkness took me.

I lost an entire dragon. This is just ridiculous. How the hell did I manage to lose an entire dragon? Astrid thought I was even more useless than she used to. Same went for my dad. This is a complete disaster. I go to as much trouble to slay one dragon that my dad spends on the entire village, and now it's gone. I lashed out at tree branch. I couldn't even conquer that enemy. The tree lashed back and did damage to my face. But as I cried out in pain, I saw it. A huge branch torn from a pine. And there, further off, was another damaged tree. And another, and another. It was a trail. Then, visible beyond the last damaged tree, where the land sloped downwards and out of sight, there was a large divot in the land. As if something very heavy had landed on it. I rushed over. As the land sloped down and away, a trench followed it down, starting at the divot. I ran forwards down the hill. I almost saw the dark mass too late. But I was just in time. I threw myself down behind a hump in the earth. Peeking over very slowly, I saw what could only be, a Night Fury. It was tangled and wrapped in the bola from my launcher. It's wing was spread slightly in the air with one of the bola's ropes draped over it. It's eyes were closed. It was helpless. Finally. I could now join my father, as a true Viking. The time had come. In just a few strides, I am beside the dragon. It is awake, but it cannot move. I raise my knife above my head, and prepare to strike. I never got the chance. I looked down, into the beasts eye. The look there was so… Sad. Despair filled that enormous emerald orb. It's sadness pierced me. I could not kill it. It was helpless. My stomach rolled and I almost lost my meal, dropping to my knees. This was wrong. Horrible. Unnatural. This mighty, magnificent beast of the night did not belong to Earth. It should not be bound so. "I did this." The words burned my throat and eyes on their way out. It was my fault. I must remedy it. I started to saw at the ropes of the bola. This creature would not meet it's end on my account!

The human stood over me. So this was it. This was the mighty warrior that had finaly matched my power? Ha! I, and every other dragon in the nest, could snap this tiny hatchling like a twig! So. I was so very pathetic, that even the most pathetic HUMAN could best me. I deserved death. The human was lifting his blade up above his head. It seemed that my wish would be instantaneously granted. How kind the spirits were. To allow me at the very least, a quick death. I kept eye contact with my killer only long enough to let him know that I excepted this end. Then I closed my eyes, and lay my head back on the ground. As I let out all of my breath, I braced for the end. I heard a thud. Was that the blade? Had he driven it home? I felt nothing. Perhaps the Spirits were even so merciful, as to offer a painless death? "I did this." Those sounds tingled, as they slipped down my ear plate. They meant something. I was sure of it. They were loaded with emotion, and it sent a shiver through my body. Then the sawing was to be heard. The rope that held me bound to earth began to twitch and jerk. My eyes flew open as they went slack. I moved my hind leg slightly. I could hear exactly where the human was. I leapt, and reversed in midair. As the humans face came into view, I let my paw fly forward, ahead of my body. I landed above him with my right paw pressed against his neck. His air supply was now negligible. I gazed into his eyes. They were wide, full of fear and panic. But there was something else there as well. Something that I would never expect to find in a human. Wonder. The human gazed up at me, in admiration. This human admired me, even as I prepared to end his life. I drew a deep breath to stoke the fire within, and prepared to burn him to a cinder. But as I did so, his eyes closed tight, and his face turned away from me, in fear. I realized in that moment, that I could not kill something so helpless. Something so fearful. It did not feel right. At the last possible moment, I closed the flesh that opens from the furnace, onto my throat, and instead of bathing him in the flames of death, I merely shouted my displeasure into his face. Then, I leapt away, into the forest.

TOOTHLESS!HICCUP!TOOTHLESS!HICCUP! The hurricane of winds all changed directions at once. They all flowed straight for a single point, and us along with them. All of the images, feelings, thoughts, memories, emotions, cravings, hatreds, flesh, heart. Soul. All of it, collided at a single point and for a tiny sliver of time, a single point of light shown piercingly through the darkness. Then it exploded. One point became many, but they did not scatter. As they expanded, each single point, attracted all of it's neighbors. Eventually, the expansion ceased, and each point of light became fixed in a rotation, around a central point. That center, consisted of two brilliant spheres, one light, the other dark, which spun around each other. We opened our eyes, and gazed into slit orbs of green.

XXX

Astrid

Of course, every villager had reacted at once. As the beast broke free of it's bonds, a feat which should have been impossible, the thing must have some kind of otherworldly power, every single Viking leapt for their personal weapon of choice, I drew my knives. All of them came pouring into the ring through the chain barrier. But the thing was now atop Hiccup. But it did not strike. It froze. And every single Viking froze with it, waiting to see what would happen. I began inching around to my right. If there was any kind of disturbance, Hiccup's head would roll. But if we didn't kill the thing, it would probably kill Hiccup, and several others first. As I came silently around to the things side, weaving between motionless Vikings, I looked at the beast. It did not move a muscle, not even a twitch in the tail. Not only that, but it's eyes were closed. I threw my look towards Hiccup. He, was likewise motionless, and his eyes were closed as well. His face was that of one perplexed. I had seen that face on him when he was working on a specific project in the forge. Now that I looked closer at Hiccup, I saw that his hand was up on the beast's face, while the beast's paw hovered just above Hiccup's throat. One of the beast's claws was extended, and it just lightly touched Hiccup's cheek. This was strange. Extremely strange. And of course, to me, the strange and unknown, were even more dangerous than a raging dragon.

At that moment, as I thought of the abnormality, both the dragon's, and Hiccup's eyes, flicked open at exactly the same time. Every Viking flinched. The sight was so disturbing, that I almost moved. Hiccup was starring into the dragon's eyes. And slowly, ever so slowly, a smile drew the corners of his mouth upwards. Blood dripped from the gash in the dragons face, and splashed against Hiccup's chest, darkening his tunic. Now, slowly, very slowly, the dragon shifted it's paw to the side, so that it's claw was tracing the scar that ran from Hiccup's left eye. And as it did this, Hiccup shifted his own hand to the side, and stopped just short of the oozing slice over the dragon's left eye. This made me stop with a jolt. The two scars matched. Not only did they match, they appeared to be exactly the same! This was far too disturbing. My body did not wait any longer. I leapt forward.

XXX

Hiccup

The golden haired creature that I landed on made an angry, annoyed noise. Then she rolled to the side and through me to the ground. My limbs still did not respond to my mind as they should. Not quite, anyway. I landed on my back and felt a chill at my throat. The creature was holding some kind of sharp edge there. She had her teeth bared and her eyes were full of hate. Then, just as quickly as she had enacted the threat, she was gone, walking into my house. I thought that this was rather interesting. I slowly pushed myself onto my feet. I heard more voices emanating from inside. The female seemed to be speaking to my father. I stepped back through the door, slowly this time.

"… the arena is ready as is the beast. I very much doubt that it could escape from the restraints that Gobber's put it in."

"Excellent Astrid! Excellent, thank you." Astrid. That name sounded familiar. And not in a good way either. Was she an enemy? "Come Hiccup my boy! They are ready for us! Now you shall have you revenge, and the village shall have a celebration!" And with that, his heavy arm was around my shoulders and he was practically throwing me out the door.

XXX

Astrid

My knife throw failed. Just like my ax had days earlier. I should stop throwing away my weapons. The knife hung suspended above the ground by a pale, skinny hand. Hiccup's hand had shot up impossibly fast and arrested it's movement in one swift gesture. Every single Viking drew in a sharp breath. He starred at me now, and his eyes were full of true hate. I could see fire burning there. For the first time in my life, I was afraid of a human. Dragons of course deserved a healthy amount of respect which usually bordered on fear, but humans? They were my own race. I should not fear them. But I feared Hiccup now. I feared that he had murder in his eyes. And, he was holding my knife. The dragon stepped back from Hiccup, and without taking his eyes away from me, he slowly stood.

When he was standing truly erect, something truly frightening happened. As Hiccup glared at me, one of the dragon's wings extended and brushed slightly against his arm. At that exact moment, his eyes shifted, contorted. The iris grew and the white nearly disappeared. The pupils thinned down to slits, and I was struck with the furious gaze, of a dragon. But the moment I blinked, it was over. Hiccup's eyes were normal again, though he still gave me a murderous glare. But then he spoke with his eyes still locked on me.

"Listen very carefully Stoic." I glanced to the side and saw Stoic the Vast stiffen. "You will allow both me, and the dragon, to leave the arena. No harm shall come to the dragon, or I guarantee, that harm will both come to me, and the Vikings involved. You will clear a path…" And here he turned and faced Stoic, finally releasing me from his stare. "… now." All eyes now turned to Stoic. The chief's eyes were squinted shut, and his brow furrowed as he thought this statement over. Very slowly, he nodded.

Grumblings and mutterings broke out across the arena. But Stoic silenced them all.

"I am Chief of this village! If anyone wishes to contest that, and face me in combat, then they will do so AFTER and only after, this conflict is settled."

The arena fell silent once more. Slowly, the Vikings parted and cleared a straight line between the dragon and Hiccup, and the gate. Both Hiccup, and the dragon, stepped forward at the same time and began walking slowly out of the arena. Each and every Viking they passed gave Hiccup a nasty look, and they brandished their weapons slightly as well. Hiccup and the dragon both kept their gaze fixed firmly ahead. They passed Stoic whose stone face of indifference, cracked for just a moment, and I saw the concerned and fearful father. Then the mask returned. Hiccup did not so much as glance at him. Then, as soon as they reached the gate, Hiccup, and the dragon, took off at a run.

XXX

Hiccup

I found myself in a large circular enclosure. Lengths of chain crossed each other around in a dome, preventing anything larger than a human from getting in or out. On the far side of the enclosure was a large lumpy mass. Before I knew what was happening, I knife had been thrust into my hand and I had been shoved toward the mass, which I now reasoned to be the captured dragon. It was looking up at me with no fear. Just confusion. A quick stab between it's eyes would probably be the best way to end it. I lifted the knife above my head. The reptile's eyes widened and it began to struggle with it's bonds. I let my knife fall. The dragon drew in a breath and exhaled. I was hit in the face by it's scent. That scent! The scent! The scent of my past! Musky, yet spicy, and sweet as well. All at the same time. Toothless! I tried to pull the knife away! To divert it! But it was too late. I was only able to pull it off center and back. Blood splashed the ground as I inflicted the mirror image of my own scar upon Toothless.

XXX

Astrid

The other Vikings seemed to have had their minds addled. They stood around like a bunch of idiot rabbits waiting to be eaten. I didn't. I took action. I leapt up the side of the arena and swung myself through the chain barrier. I ran along the edge and leapt down onto the path that headed back toward the village. I could see the Hiccup and the beast running ahead of me. They were skirting the outside of the village on their way to the forest. But I saw another figure. A Viking silhouette standing on a rooftop. It leapt off and down towards the dragon, swinging it's ax. Hiccup, leapt straight up, a good five feet at the least. He met the figure midair. I heard a sharp crack. Hiccup, fell to earth, hitting the ground running without even missing a beat. But the other figure, landed on it's back. And did not move. Hiccup and the dragon, disappeared into the dying light of the evening, straight into the forest. I arrived at the side of the figure. It's head was twisted around at a savage angle. It's ax blade was buried in it's own gut. I stood and turned grimly to the group of villagers that were finally catching up to me.

"Snotlout, is dead."


	18. Chapter 18

Alright guys I must beg your pardon! This chapter is not as long as I would have like but it is what it is. I'd like to extend my gratitude to Loti-Miko, who has now officially agreed to be my β Reader! This chapter is a lot cleaner thanks to her valuable input! Remember that your reviews are my driving motivation. We're getting ready to take the plunge!

Chapter 18

Hiccup

The night breeze was delicious. I could taste the trees and bushes all around. The grass, and the earth. All of it assailed my nose, all at once. I was still a bit confused. Everything that had happened before my waking under Toothless in the arena, was a bit of a blur, I could barely remember any of it. But Toothless seemed to want some time to himself. His mind was locked and wrapped in iron clad tendrils of thought. It of course wasn't easy for Toothless to block him entirely, ever since our joining-of-mind-and-body. I still had a pretty good idea of what Toothless felt, but his exact thoughts were obscure. Unreachable. Overall however, he was angry, and happy at the same time. He was swirling through a sea of turmoil.

We are running through the woods. Exactly where we are going I have no idea. I most certainly wasn't welcome in the village any more. My cousin was most certainly dead. Unless of course the big lunk had a gut of steel and a neck that could still function when broken. Doubtful. It seemed that the time had come to leave Berk. Leave it forever, and never return. I was no longer welcome, and quite frankly I didn't care. I would be off with Toothless. Nothing could ever trouble us again. Though I would feel regret at the loss of this forest. My first ever sanctuary. My first true home.

Then my thoughts flashed to the image of my father's face, just prior to my leaving the ring. For just a moment, my father had been worried. Actually, parentally, lovingly worried. Worried for me. Hiccup the Useless. Perhaps the man had a shred of feeling in his body somewhere. And now I would never see him again. Surely it was cowardly to run off without at least, trying, to explain what was going on? After all, it really wasn't the Viking's fault that he had grown up in such an atmosphere of anger and violence. He simply didn't understand us.

My feet began to slow. The trees did likewise, and eventually became still. Toothless bounded on ahead for a distance, then stopped, and slowly turned. The look on his face sent a pang of fear through my gut. My stomach dropped. The eyes, which I had so often lost myself in before, were twin pools of amber, harder than stone.

"Toothless wha.." I was cut off by a snarl.

_ "So you want to go back?" _The words echoed in my head, laced with venom. _"Want to go and beg your father's forgiveness?" _

_ "What? No! Toothless what are you tal.." _

_ "Are you a Viking?" _These words were quiet, dangerous. And then the ground dropped away and I found myself on all fours, starring up at my own face, with blank dead eyes. This other Hiccup held a knife and he swung downwards at my face. Fire flashed in my left eye. "NO!"

The memory receded, and I found myself curled into a fetal position on the grass, breathing in the scent of earth.

_"Why?" _My body is shaking and the question rolls over me. Why did I do that? Was that me? Was I a Viking after all? No. No that couldn't be possible.

_"Toothless." _I could hear how faint my voice sounded in my own head._ "Why are you hiding? You're keeping us separate. It's not right. That's why that happened. We were separated. My mind was torn. I couldn't find you. Then your scent, it opened me. I remembered, I tried to stop. But it was too late." _My eyes were getting hot and I could feel the tears trying to brim over. I looked up into the eyes of stone.

And I saw them crack. A tear dropped from my left eye, and traced it's way down the scar beneath. Toothless' eyes went wide. The walls of iron that surrounded his mind, kept us separated, shattered and Toothless washed over me like an ocean wave. Tendrils of remorse and horror swirled all around me, and I felt the sky and trees above me disappear, as Toothless' physical body stepped over mine and blocked me from the world. All was warmth now.

_"Hiccup! Hiccup are you alright! Gods please forgive me! I was so.. angry! I don't know what happened, Please Hiccup! Please! It's all right!" _A single tear. It had woken Toothless. How ridiculous. I was always taught that males don't cry. Strong males who have any chance in surviving an encounter with a dragon, never cry. One tear had saved me. _"Please! Please. please. __please.__" _Toothless' pleas for forgiveness faded to silence in my mind, and a smile pulled at my face. I reached up and wrapped my arms around that enormous scaly neck. I was not going to let go. Not now. Not ever.

XXX

Stoic

How had this happened? I stood starring down at the boy, his head twisted at a horrible angle, his ax in his own stomach, as if he'd killed himself. He turned his gaze to Astrid who stood starring up at him with cold eyes. "What did this?"

"Hiccup. Hiccup killed him."

Her words sent a knife plunging into his heart. A knife of ice. Hiccup? His Hiccup? "No. It can't be. That can't be!" He was shouting. Her response, was cold and emotionless.

"Snotlout tried to stop them. He tried to kill the dragon. So Hiccup killed him."

All around him the villagers erupted in angry muttering. Some of them began to shout. He was numb. He felt nothing. Utter disbelief. This simply was not possible. Only one word found it's way to his lips. "Why?"

"Could I please speak with you in private Chief? I have some information on Hiccup that I think you'll be very interested to hear."

His gaze sharpened and locked on her. But her face in the light of the rising moon, was utterly unreadable. She knew something. That much was certain. Something that she didn't want the rest of the village to hear.

"Are the boy's family present?" His voice was surprisingly even, and he made it as loud as he could. The villagers fell silent. Two short, sturdily built Vikings stepped forward. Their expressions were blank and solemn. "Take him, prepare him for his final journey. Astrid, to my house." They left the villagers around Snotlout's parents as they lifted their child from the dirt.

It didn't take long to reach the house. Through the heavy oaken door and across the bearskin rug. Stoic knelt and set light to the oil sodden tinder in the fire place with his flint. A fire sprang to life. He added a few large logs, then sunk into his chair and gestured for Astrid to do the same. She did so.

"What's this about Astrid? What actually happened?" Astrid starred into the fire.

"You remember sir, when I told you that I'd seen a dragon in the forest?"

"I do."

"That wasn't precisely what happened that day." His brow furrowed.

"Then what did happen, Astrid?" The girl took a deep breath.

"I'll start at the beginning. Whilst you were away on the hunt, you left Hiccup to train in combat. He performed as utterly terribly, as everyone expected. Then he started disappearing. He'd run off into the forest for the entire day. People began to see less and less of him. Then, a few days after that started happening, Hiccup improved. Dramatically."

She paused and glanced at him. He gave a short nod. "No dragon could face him in the ring. All of them either retreated, or wound up unconscious. Most assumed that Hiccup was an amazing hidden prodigy. But I saw differently. I saw that whenever Hiccup defeated a dragon, he never attacked it. Most of the time they retreated willingly. When they didn't, Hiccup would.. Touch them. Stroke them. Brush them with his hand, and they would drop to the ground. Never once did he lift a hand against a dragon. Then… There came The Raid."

He knew what she meant when she said this. She meant, the raid of all raids. The one that had destroyed almost the entire village. "I fought for most of the night. But when I paused to survey the situation, I happened to glance at the roof, of this very house. And there he was. Your son, standing on the roof. Silhouetted against the stars, and lit by the light from the burning village." Stoic sucked in a breath. Up high was one of the most dangerous places to be during a raid. "He had an expression on his face, of utter nonchalance. He didn't care. He watched as his fellow Vikings were slaughtered and didn't care in the least. And no dragon touched him. Until.." A pause.

"Until what girl?" No dragon had touched him? Why would no dragon harm him? Why wouldn't he harm a dragon in the ring?

"The Night Fury. It appeared as if it was formed of the night sky behind it. Hiccup turned to it, and smiled. He smiled at it as if it's arrival was the best thing that could possibly happen to him. Then they both turned at once, and disappeared, first over the roof, and then into the forest."

Hiccup had gone with it willingly? That was absurd. It was a dragon! A murderer. A soulless beast!

"The next day, I followed it. It left a trail through the forest that was still visible. I came to the place where I led you just last night. There was Hiccup, lying against the beast's side, sleeping."

"Sleeping?" Sleeping against the side of a monster? Was his son mad? No, he was clever. A mad person could not invent the things that Hiccup did. Some of them were quite useful. Then why would he sleep next to that beast? He must have been held captive! Against his will!

"Yes sir. They were both sleeping. I figured Hiccup had to be hypnotized. I went in on my own without thinking. I got close, using the rocks as cover. Then they woke up." She paused and shuddered. "They looked at each other, and then the dragon.. licked him. Right beneath his chin, close to his throat. I thought that anyone who allowed a dragon to touch him like that had to be either trapped, or mad. I stood and yelled at Hiccup to move, then I made an ax throw at the things neck. Hiccup moved. But not out of the way. He threw himself into the path of my blade. It buried itself in his right shoulder."

"So.. That mark on Hiccup's shoulder.. That was covered in scales.."

"Was the place where my ax nearly took his arm off. At the precise moment when the ax hit, the dragon shrieked. It sounded as if it was in pain. Then Hiccup fell. The dragon stepped up and over his body, opening it's mouth to burn me to cinders. But then it paused, and glanced down at Hiccup, and whipped it's tail around to knock me out instead. I have no idea what happened after that. When I woke up, it was night time. I looked for the dragon, and I found it curled up near the lake, starring at me. It seemed as though Hiccup were beneath on of it's wings. I ran back to the village as fast as I could, but they were faster. When I got back and tried to tell you what was going on, Hiccup was already there. Watching."

Stoic was silent for a long while. It was crazy. It sounded as though the dragon had healed Hiccup, and felt his pain when he was wounded. The beast must be controlling Hiccup. Or maybe Hiccup was controlling the beast! No that was impossible. "Astrid, this just seems too insane to be real."

Both Stoic and Astrid jumped to their feet, as a low, quiet voice sounded from above.

"Oh but it is father. It's the complete truth from start to finish."

XXX

Astrid

That voice sent a chill down my spine. It was familiar, and yet, strange. It seemed as though Hiccup had let a coldness replace all the emotion in his body. Both Stoic and I leaped to our feet and whirled around. A sight met out eyes the likes of which we'd never seen. Hiccup hung before us. His hair swinging slightly, pointed towards the floor. His arms were crossed over a bare chest and his eyes were narrow.

"Hiccup! Wha.." Stoic never finished his question.

"Didn't tell him what I told you before hmm? I told you to leave me alone Astrid. You didn't respect my wish. Now the situation's gone to hell." Hiccup released one of his feet that were hooked around the rafter above. As his body swung to the side, he released the other foot, flipping in midair and landing on his feet without once taking his angry gaze off of us.

"There are a few things that it seems neither of you know. Like exactly what happened in the ring during my final exam." Now, a small cold smile pulled at the edge of Hiccup's lips. "When Toothless broke into the arena, I was able to use the confusion to free the other dragons you held prisoner. He didn't want to, but I convinced him to slash my face as well. Then you intruded on us for a second time Astrid."

My shudder was involuntary. That had been such a disturbing image. Stoic's voice was low and angry. "Who the hell is Toothless? And what was that occasion Astrid?"

"I followed Hiccup after the mishap, back to his house. There I found the dragon licking the blood out of the gash on Hiccup's face. He…"

Hiccup interrupted me. "Toothless, is my only friend. As a matter of fact he's more than that. He's my only love." Stoic's face twitched.

"He..?"

"Yes Stoic, I love a male. But in your eyes, that's not the worst of it. Right Astrid?" I felt my gorge rise. It was difficult to keep the contents of my stomach in place. The things Hiccup were saying, the things she had seen. It was beyond disturbing. "Not only that, but I'm sure you heard us yelling last night. But I bet none of you guessed what that was about." For a moment I didn't know what he meant, then my eyes fell on his left shoulder, and something from the dragon manual clicked into place. That did it. I was violently sick on the chief's floor.

I saw Hiccup above me through my hair, regarding me with distaste. After a moment, I wiped my mouth and straightened.

"What is it Astrid? What does he mean? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Stoic. But ask yourself, where have you seen that mark before? The one on his left shoulder." Hiccup's smile widened into a grin. He seemed utterly amused. Stoic had a perplexed look on his face.

"I have not read the dragon manual in a while Astrid. Is that mark significant?"

"Stoic, That is a dragon's mating scar."

Stoic froze. His eyes narrowed and a shadow passed over his face. Hiccup was still smiling.

"It's quite alright Stoic. We're perfect for each other. And we won't hurt anyone who doesn't hurt us."

I snorted. "Snotlout?"

"Hiccup's expression fell. "He tried to hurt Toothless."

"Wait wait wait!" Stoic was shouting now. "Toothless, is the Night Fury?"

"Glad to see you've caught up, _dad._" The last word was loaded with venom. Hiccup spat it like a curse. "My mate is a Night Fury. He'd never hurt me. Astrid tried to kill me." He pointed at his right shoulder.

A vein was starting to stand out in Stoic's forehead. He bellowed "Astrid was trying to kill a DRAGON! And you have no idea what that beast will do Hiccup you're lucky to be alive!"

"He'd never hurt me."

"And just how can you be so sure of that? The dragons love the taste of human. Dragons kill humans on sight!"

"Then why hasn't Toothless killed you?"

We stared at him, uncomprehendingly. Then his smile returned, and he pointed past us. I turned. Very, slowly. Stoic followed my gaze, and gasped in horror. There, hanging from the ceiling, wrapped in it's wings and starring at them from the darkness with fiery green eyes, was the Night Fury.

We leaped back and away. There was an ax on the wall. I was about to reach for it when Hiccup's voice rang through the room,

"DON'T. YOU. DARE." I froze. On the other side of the room, near the hearth, Stoic's hand was a few inches away from a massive sword on the wall. There was a hand on the side of my neck. It was hot. Very hot. Stoic's eyes were whipping back and forth between us and the dragon, which hadn't moved. "If either of you make a single move, I will snap Astrid's neck like a twig." I could feel the strength in Hiccup's fingers. It was as if he had become mighty overnight. He was not making empty threats. Hiccup didn't care about taking lives now. So long as the dragon was safe. "Good. Now please stay where you are."

The grip on my neck disappeared, and Hiccup stepped past me. He went straight past his father as well without looking at him. He stepped up to the hanging dragon and brushed it's wing with his hand before turning to face us. "We're going to go away. Far away. I doubt you'll ever see us again." As he spoke, the creature's wings unwrapped, and spread slowly. "You see father, I was never a Viking. It simply wasn't who I am." The wings now were folding back in, surrounding Hiccup. Only his face was visible. His eyes slid closed. "This is where I want to be." For just a moment it looked like he was sleeping.

Then his eyes sprung open. I almost fell over. My stomach did another roll. Hiccup's eyes were terrifying copies of the Night Fury's in a darker shade of green. "This, is who I am."

Stoic reeled backwards and fell over his chair. I could not move. Those eyes. And now the Night Fury let it's wings fall, and with a swing, it dropped to the floor next to Hiccup. I could see it now. Their faces were exactly the same. The same eyes, the exact same scars. Then the Night Fury turned and shoved it's way past the back door, which shattered before it. Hiccup strode towards me, reaching out his hand. For just a moment, I thought he would strike me. Then he placed the hand on my shoulder and said, "I'm disappointed Astrid. You're better than this. All humans are." And that was it. He pushed me aside and strode up the stairs.

Stoic was still dazed and staring on the floor. I refused to allow him to get away. He had murdered a Viking! And I wanted to know what he had meant by his words. I dashed up the stairs after him. When I shouldered my way past his door, I saw him, silhouetted in moonlight, crouching on his window sill. In his arms, he held the bundle of leather and iron that we had found under a bush in the ditch. "I only came back to tell my father why I was leaving. And to get our flying gear. Goodbye Astrid. I hope you make something better of your life." And with that, he had fallen sideways and down.

I rushed to the window and stared down at the ground. There was no one there. Then looking out to the side, I saw them. Two pairs of green eyes, glowing in the shadows of the forest, that as I watched, disappeared.


	19. Chapter 19

Here we are again. I meant to upload sooner, but school got hectic and I only just managed to finish this and get it proof read by my lovely Beta. And by lucky coincidence, Loti has just produced another piece of amazing art related to this story. You may find it here: http:/ aveku-chan-kataang ./gallery/#/d4u8chj

(delete the spaces)

I wanted to upload this sooner, but FF decided to not allow me to upload anything for a while. Anyway, onward!

Chapter 19

Hiccup

The feelings were intense. It was indescribable. The joy. The freedom. It was almost overwhelming. And it was made all the more real by the presence of Toothless. Both the warmth of his body, and the loving presence in his mind. I felt as though that love would set me alight. We ran through the forest with absolutely no destination in mind. Because we were free. Utterly free. We had moved beyond the judgement and the cruel actions of the Vikings of Berk. Now, we are alone. Truly alone with no one to act as our equal. We can go where we wish, and do what we want. I felt like singing. My eyes had been restored to their full capabilities. As we ran through the night, each and every tree was outlined in silvery light. Every detail was made evident. And as I glanced to my left, my breath was stolen. Beside me ran Toothless. A Night Fury. A Shade in the words of his own kind. And I was almost utterly distracted by his powerful beauty. In fact, a pine branch managed to hit me dead in the face and I felt the bundle of leather in my arms jump out of my grasp and flee into the night. The world spun around me and something pushed hard into my back. It took a moment for my head to slow its spinning enough for me to see that the foliage of the forest and the night sky stretched before me. It seemed as though the offending tree had managed to throw me on my back. Laughter bounced against my ears and in my skull. A large face appeared upside-down before me and obscured the night.

_"Well. That should teach you to stare at others." _I felt a smile cross my face. I reached my arms up and pulled down on the large head, until its nose was pressed against my own. It was warm and smooth, yet rigid, the strange contradiction of his scales.

_"It's hardly my fault. You're just too much of a distraction." _Toothless pulled back and snorted, bathing my chest in his scent. My head spun again as it overwhelmed me.

_"You are just too cute."_

_"You be quiet. I'm a fierce warrior." _That did it. Toothless shook with dragon guffaws and fell down beside me rolling in the grass. _"You stop laughing or I'll be forced to defend my honor!" _I leapt to my feet. What little control Toothless had managed to keep up to this point was gone. Small spasms of flame burst from his mouth. Bushes and shrubs were turned to ash as they were struck and consumed by the dragonflame.

Acting on my promise for vengeance, I leapt into the air and came down on Toothless' stomach which momentarily lay exposed. In a blink I had my arms around his neck and we were rolling through the flames. My own laughter had burst out of me as I came down, and now the forest echoed with dragon bellows and my own shrill amusement. The flames of the burning plant life licked and sputtered against my skin as we rolled over and over. It tickled immensely, adding volume to my laughter. Then I realized that we were still moving. We must be rolling down hill. Toothless was trying to dislodge me with forelimbs, but my grip was too tight. He gave up and instead curled his head, limbs, and wings around me in a protective embrace as the world rotated around us.  
>After a while, we came to a stop. Toothless stayed wrapped tight around me. I could barely move and wanted to even less. We had left the fire behind at the top of the hill. Toothless raised his head and glanced around while I continued trying to suppress my laughter. Through his eyes, I saw the hill we had just fallen down. There was a large trench. A furrow in the land as though something heavy had slid down it.<p>

_"Toothless, is this..?"_

_"Yes. Yes it is." _We were lying in almost exactly the same spot, on which we had met a few weeks past. Had it really only been that long? The world had done a backflip since then. Changed. It was unrecognisable now. But we had both made a choice that day. The killing stopped with our meeting. Now, we were free of the cycle.

_"This was where I lost the power of flight. This is where my life ended." _I froze. Was that really how Toothless thought of it? He had never even suggested any kind of unhappiness in his thoughts until now. _"And this is also where I met the other half of my soul. Where my second life, began." _I felt my eyes widen. The presence of Toothless in my mind grew. His thoughts enveloped me, surrounding my own with feelings of security, safety, freedom. All of the things that it was a male dragon's duty to provide for his mate. I knew that nothing would touch me. And if it tried, it would be reduced to a bloody pulp in less time than it took me to exhale.

_"Toothless, let's get one last look of all of the island, then go. Leave. Fly until we reach beyond the horizon." _In my mind, I felt the dragon's smile.

_"That ledge, high on the mountainside. The one you were too scared to come down from when you climbed up to it to escape the village. Back when you were only seven summers old." _My grin was wide.

_"Exactly."_

XXX

Astrid

The forest was exceptionally dark tonight. It was nearly impossible to see. At first, I feared I'd lost him. That is, until the noise began. Barely a mile out from the village, the forest echoed with noise. Sounds of hilarity and happiness. They were so completely contrary to my current mood, that I simply stopped and listened for a moment. That was Hiccup laughing. No doubt about it. And right along with him came growling sounds that sounded like something big trying to laugh like a human. Despite all the unnerving things I had heard and witnessed tonight, it was this, horrible, unnatural laughter that gave me pause. How could they sound so happy? People had died. Nearly half the village. And Hiccup had even slain one with his own hands! He was insane. A murderer. A foul, soulless demon, accompanied by a creature that matched that description to the letter. I hadn't realized that my feet had carried me forward a few more steps, until I broke through a canopy of leaves, and the exact same time that a flash of light exploded before my eyes. I was temporarily blinded.

Squinting, I tried to make sense of what lay before me. A large black mass was rolling on the ground, and from it, emanated the sounds of laughter. As my eyes adjusted slowly, I managed to catch a glimpse of Hiccup, clinging tightly to the figure of a Night Fury. And as I watched, they rolled through the fire, in fact, I think they were trying to stay in the fire. They were prevented from this goal by the hill that lay only I few feet away. Over they went.

This would be dangerous. I'd already disturbed this strange pair a few times, and I had not come off the better for it. I would wait. Watch. Try to learn what I could. No one had ever been so close to a Night Fury before, and lived to tell the tale, than I had been, and still was. I would learn as much as possible while it was here. Very slowly, I crept slowly towards the lip of the hill, dodging burning shrubs as I went. Really, they weren't even trying to be discreet. I peeked over the edge, and down. It was something of a steep slope, and there was a trench or ditch stretching all the way down the side. As if something heavy had slid down. Strange, when I had seen them last they were rolling. At the foot of the hill, in the center of a clearing, lay a ball of black scale. The dragon had curled up and Hiccup was nowhere to be seen. Unless he was under the dragon. That was where he'd been all the other times I'd found him.

It was so pathetic. He seemed to be letting the thing dominate him. Making no attempt to resist, or get help. He deserved his fate. And I knew what his fate would be too. That dragon was toying with him. Playing some kind of sick joke. It would get bored with Hiccup eventually and he would suffer the full penalty of foolishness.

Suddenly, there was movement. The ball below split, and separated. A horrifyingly enormous wing stretch skyward. It was wider and longer than any dragon wing I had ever seen, except for maybe the Timberjack, whose wingspan was long enough to slice through multiple trees, but they were still narrow. These black sails were relatively enormous! But now I saw something even more disturbing. Under the wing, in the middle of the curled reptiles body, there was another, pale, curled shape. It lifted its head. Hiccup starred up at the dragon, as the dragon starred down at him. And an enormous smile spread across his face. I knew it was large because I could see it from all the way up here, glimmering in the moonlight. Then, the distance between their heads shrunk down to nothing, and they were rubbing their heads passed each other. This probably would have made me ill if I didn't know that Hiccup had done much worse.

Hiccup stood, and he stuck out in the middle of the clearing like a dull knife in my belt. Moonlight reflected off of his pale skin. That was another thing that was strange. How could he survive without a shirt? It may have been unseasonably warm of late, but only during the day. Even now it was chill. And Hiccup stood there half naked as if he felt nothing. He would die of exposure to the elements even if the dragon did not kill him first.

The movement was sudden. Very sudden. It caught me completely off guard. Hiccup bolted into the forest and the dragon leapt after him. But he wasn't bolting away, he was running straight up the hill! I dived for the cover of a bush. I lay there on my stomach, looking up through the leaves, and watched as Hiccup came hurtling over the lip of the hill. Past it in fact. Straight up. Before I knew what had happened, he was standing in the tree that overlooked the hill, and the dragon stood below him. I held my breath. The dragon was sniffing heavily, and it's eyes narrowed, so much like a human's would have done. For one fraction of a second, I was sure it could smell me.

Then the wind shifted. I felt it change from blowing across my side, to blowing straight in my face. The beast turned and looked up into the tree. There was a rushing sound, a pair of bare feet landed in front of my face. The scary thing was, the utter lack of noise with which they landed. There was no sound whatsoever, and barely any vibration in the ground. Hiccup moved like a ghost. As I watched, he bent down, and picked up a clumpy bundled object. The strong smell of tanned leather hit me in the face, carried by the wind. Then, without a glance or any kind of signal between them, they were off, running for the mountain.

Their actions were so random! It was all too frustrating. With a sigh, I lept to my feet and set off after them at a run.

XXX

Toothless

The trees beginning to thin. The slope of the mountain that was the center of Berk was getting steeper and steeper by the second. Hiccup was leading though I knew the way. Really, it seemed that Hiccup was not as in tune with my own mind as he could be. It was probably just his humanity. Hiccup's thoughts were as easy to delve into as my own. I found myself remembering his life as if I had lived it. Even now, I could feel his sense of the past. Remembering that day that he had climbed this very mountain. Yet Hiccup did not draw memories immediately from my mind as they became relevant. It would probably come with time. Hiccup made one final leap. And landed crouched on a large outcropping of rock that jutted from the mountain side like a thorn on a weed stem.

Here it was ten years ago that Hiccup had stood, looking down at Berk and thinking about his separation from it. He had not truly belonged. He never did. And as a young boy, it had hurt him badly, to be shunned by his own kind. He had needed refuge. And up here among the mountain breezes and the silence, he had found it. Of course, then he'd been too frightened to descend. I gave a bound and watched the outcropping slide downwards past me, then under me, and then I had landed. Hiccup, still crouching, almost hit his head on my chest. He grinned up at me before giving a playful shove and standing. He stepped to the edge of the stone.

"_You know, it looks so small down there." _I took a step forward and gazed over his head. There, far down below were the twinkling lights of Berk. It was rather amusing, that such an innocent little image could be soused with so much blood. From here, the village looked like a small group of fireflies. _"It's much smaller now than it was before of course, the other dragons saw to that." _And indeed he was right. With our exceptional night vision, we could see the burnt out ring around the lights, that had once also been covered in buildings, but was now lifeless, ravaged by the destructive force of hateful fire.

"_You're free now. You need never think of this place again." _Hiccup rocked back on his heels, and I felt his weight press against my chest.

"_I know that I'm free, but this was the place of my creation. My origin. It's a part of me. I won't ever be able to truly leave it behind." _He lifted his head and looked up at me. _"But that does not mean we can't leave. We can fly." _And with that statement, Hiccup pushed himself forward, while one of his hands curled around the topmost section of my right foreleg. He swung himself, keeping his feet stationary, out over the immense drop, and then back, taking a single step and ending standing beside me facing the mountain. I chuckled. His fear of heights was certainly gone.

He shoved my shoulder. _"I got over heights a while ago. I've flown. I'll never fear heights again."_ And so saying, he strode back to the place where the outcropping converged with the mountainside. There, my flight harness was bundled in the mountains shadow. As he began to connect it to my artificial tailfin, I looked out over the island. The drop was certainly immense. The mountain beneath the outcropping did not slope outwards as it should have, but rather plunged almost straight down to the forest floor below. It would have been a pretty decent fall. Without wings.

Buckles snapped and locked into place, and I felt the straps of leather tug across my scales. The familiar weight of the pad rested on my back the place that would keep Hiccup stable in flight, and allow him to shift the position of my tailfin. Hiccup came around front of me to buckle some strap or other across my chest, but finishing that task, the hands lingered. I bent my neck and looked down at him. He was smiling back at me, and his newly draconic eyes reflected almost all of the light that shone from the moon and stars. They positively glowed.

I heard the loose rocks behind us shift. Clatter. Hiccup's beautiful eyes rolled skyward, their depth changing to a flat look of annoyance. _"Surely it's not.." _Hiccup glanced over my shoulder. He sighed. His next words were spoken aloud in a voice of anger. "No, it IS her."

XXX

Astrid

The outcropping was quite easy to find. Even long after I'd lost their trail, I could hear the loose rocks tumbling down the mountain side. The shape of a dragon leaping up a mountainside, even in the dark, is quite the sight to see. It took me far longer to climb the same distance than it took them, and I was afraid they would fly away, but to my astonishment, having reached the outcropping, I saw that they still stood there. And yet again, they were starring at each other. Probably looking into each others freakish eyes. And even from here, I could see Hiccup's eyes. Glowing. Slitted. Unnatural. The smile on his face was as contradictory as any face had a right to be. The thing he was staring at was a DRAGON for crying out loud! There was simply no way to explain his actions. What was it he had said in the chief's house? Something about love? Absurd. It was a demon. A soulless murderer. But then, Hiccup was a murderer as well. Perhaps he had found more fitting company. I felt my lip curl in a sneer. I was rather surprised at myself, I usually try not to show outward emotions, but this disgust was far too intense to hold inside. Unfortunately, that was where I lost my focus. The loose rock I was standing on, gave way as I shifted my weight.

I didn't fall of course, but the rocks went tumbling down the hill, clattering as they went. Hiccup's horrible eyes rolled towards the heavens, then, quick as lightning they fell, and bored into mine.

"No, it IS her." The words were harsh and grating, full of anger. Where had Hiccup found anger? He had never expressed the emotion in all the fifteen years I'd known him. Now he called it effortlessly and poured it, steaming, into his voice. My weight shifted automatically. I was in danger now. The enemy had seen me. Better to have a stable surface to work on than the rocks and low ground I was stationed on now. I leaped over the edge of the outcropping, drawing my knife as I went.

The dragon turned with speed that ignored its massive size. It was agile beyond belief. Hiccup shifted forward into a slight crouch in front of the beast his lip rising in an animalistic snarl. His strange eyes were opened wide, staring at me with tiny slitted pupils. I noticed that his hand flew to his side first, as if to grasp something, but finding nothing in his belt, it simply curled up into a ready position. The dragon behind him had slitted eyes and was snarling in a horrible fashion. It's tail lashed behind it over the edge of the cliff.

"Astrid, did you really have to spoil our departure? We're leaving. Isn't that enough for you?" His voice was hard, but the anger had cooled. It was a voice of ice, rather than fire.

"No! It's not enough! How can you even consider that! You killed Snotlout! Your own cousin!" His face did not even twitch at the accusation.

"He tried to hurt us. He was a threat. We eliminated the threat." I was about to respond, but he spoke again before I could say a word. "And my actions are no different than any other Viking's!" I felt the disbelief spring across my face. But before I could say one word, he interrupted again. "Tell me Astrid. Why do you kill dragons?"

"Because they..!"

"Because you perceive them as a threat!"

"I.."

"All your life, you have been taught that dragons kill on sight! Is that not true?"

I nodded

"And when I met a dragon, did it kill me?"

"I'm sure that it was the first thing on its mi.."

"AM I DEAD! Do I look dead to you?" He stood now, letting his arms drop. "I am not. Toothless did not hurt me, nor will he ever." At this, the dragon looked down at Hiccup, and I could have sworn I saw it's eyeridge arch. Then, it turned and disappeared over the edge. I gripped the dagger tighter in my hand. Hiccup was standing now, in a relaxed position. He took a step back, placing the heel of his foot at the edge of the outcrop.

"Astrid, I love Toothless. It is as simple, as that. There are no alterior motives, no witchcraft, no foul play of any kind. I love him. And I am lucky enough, that he reciprocates that love. You don't have to believe me. I don't need your belief. But you would be wise to know the situation. I know that there is a person somewhere deep inside you Astrid. You're better than this. Than meaningless slaughter. Find the person within you. My expectations of you are high." He seemed to pause and consider something. "And tell my father goodbye." And that was it. Hiccup took one step backwards into the night, and disappeared, over the edge, into empty space.

XXX

Hiccup

For just a few moments, we fell calmly, and peacefully. The wind whipping up past us was a lovely sound. Then, the ground started to get closer. I reached out, and grasped one of the saddle straps. I pulled myself around Toothless, and positioned myself squarely above his upper back. I slid my foot into the stirrup, and released the pin that held the tailfin locked in the closed position.

We spread our wings. All three pairs. Berk was coming up fast. We had an idea. As we began to pull out of our dive, we opened the flaps in our scale that ran along our side. The wind whistled through these flaps, and produced the howling shriek that was the identifying, terror causing signal of the coming of a Shade. We leveled out over Berk, and then began pumping our wings, and using our newfound speed to gain a bit of altitude. We turned for the North, and flew on.

XXX

Astrid

Of course I ran to the edge and looked over to see what was going on. And in the moonlight, I just made out two shapes far below. These two shapes converged, and the resulting single shape widened. The Night Fury's wings were open. I watched them, until I lost sight of the dragon against the sea. Love. Hiccup had looked me straight in the eye, and told me that he truly loved the monster. He even had the mating scar to prove it. Was it even possible? Surely not. And then he had told me that I was better. His expectations were high. Who did he think he was?

XXX

Stoic

Surely this was his fault? He must have done something wrong. The boy had not been raised properly. Stoic stood on the small porch of his house, looking out over his village. It seemed as though the entire world had fallen apart in this one day. It was his fault. Somehow, he had caused this. Then, there was a shrieking sound. He heard the cries of "Night Fury!" "Get Down!" But there was no following explosion. Only a shadow that flitted through the sky, obscuring the stars as it passed, and a cloud of dust, that rose as it passed over the town center. He looked up, and saw, just for one sliver of a second against the moon, the outline of a dragon, with a scrawny figure on its back.

There was a wordless cry of anguish and despair. It took Stoic a moment to realize, that the voice was his own.


	20. Chapter 20

Ok this chapter was not done as soon as I wanted, but it's still ready far sooner than usual. So be grateful! And review!

Chapter 20

Unknown

A shadow drifted across the sky. The nest was quiet. Unusually so. This was not a good sign. The calm felt, oppressive somehow. Something was about to happen. The winds were calm and cool among the clouds. It was the most comfortable thing in the world to float here against the stars. Utterly invisible. _Why did Skuru have to get his wing broken? He did it on purpose. Anything to get out of real work. No that's stupid. Skuru Doesn't avoid work. He just hates it. But I would much rather be resting snug in _Home Cave _than living rough for two moons. At least it's been quiet._

There was a jolt. For a moment, wings locked into position on a heading straight for the nest, but after a moment, the shadow tossed its head and veered back to its arc around the enormous volcano. _Me and my big mind. Wait what's that? _

Far below, another shadow could be seen racing above the sea. It was headed directly into the cloud, straight for the nest. _That wing shape, it couldn't possibly be... No one is supposed to be here for another half moon! _But the shape was unmistakable. _Maybe a wild one? No there had been no new arrivals in years! _The shadow paused for a moment. _Damn it all. _Wings rolled forward, and the shadow dived for the mist.

XXX

Hiccup

For about half an hour, everything was perfect. The night was clear and fresh and the wind caressed each and every surface of our bodies. The scales that had appeared on my shoulders and face tingled and pricked. It felt a little like the skin was moving. But I was far too preoccupied to pay it much heed. Toothless was exuberant. Just after we took flight over the sea, Toothless let out a long joyful screech. We flipped our wings upward and pumped, clawing our way farther and farther into the heavens. Above us, the stars burned brightly and flickered. It was the most beautiful thing we had ever seen. We tilted our wings downward and dived for the sea. With a flick of our heel and a twitch of our tail, we are were corkscrewing. We spun off in a turn that bent our body into an arc and put strain on the saddle. That was when it all changed.

Just as we were leveling off, an enormous force impacted our mind. In an instant, our thoughts were scattered, out of line. We had ceased thinking together. Luckily, I was able to keep hold of Toothless' shoulders. I used that hold as a point to gather my thoughts back together. It was quicker than the first time we'd been separated. In just a moment, I was thinking again and looking for Toothless. Unfortunately, Toothless was not so lucky. His mind was a chaotic mess. Thoughts were spinning around and around in circles and emotions were rapidly disappearing. What the hell was going on?

Suddenly, the messy swamp of thoughts retracted all at once, into a single, cold point. I tried to push against it, to make Toothless aware of me, but it felt like knocking against a rock. Cold. Horribly cold. Toothless' ears shot into the air, and he flipped his wing to the side, changing course dramatically. I barely registered the change, when my heel automatically moved to keep the tailfin in a stable position. Toothless was silent.

"_Toothless? Toothless!" _The dragon did not even twitch. I lifted my hand and gave him a little thump on the shoulder. And I felt a growl rumble through his throat. I desisted immediately, suddenly extremely aware of how high above the sea I was flying. Toothless wasn't deviating in any way shape or form, there was no movement in his wings whatsoever. I was getting more and more worried than I ever had been. The one creature in the world that listened to me and treated me with respect, was cold and silent. The world tilted. For a moment, I thought I would be sick.

Then I saw exactly where we were going. A massive wall of sickly looking mist stretched far off to either side, and it reached high into the night sky. It glowed with a disturbing light as it reflected the light of the moon. I felt a shudder run down my spine. Before I could so much as take a breath, the mist enveloped us. The light from the moon dimmed, and tall, wide shadows appeared all around us. Most stayed indistinct and slid past our sides, but some sharpened and solidified into massive columns of rock reaching up out of the water. Toothless finally deviated his wing, and began to veer back and forth, narrowly dodging each shadow before us. Several times they passed to close that I almost grazed them. It was almost as if Toothless was utterly unaware of me.

Of course I was aware of where we were. It had been described by the old Viking veterans around the dinner hearth for years upon years. A twisted rock maze shrouded in mist, and swarming with dragons. The border of the Nest. Wind rushed over my head, blowing my hair past my eyes. For a moment I couldn't see. Then I brushed the hair away and looked up. There hovering directly above us, was the silhouette of a Monstrous Nightmare, floating eerily in the gloom. I whipped my head around. In ever direction, everywhere I looked, the shapes of Dragon's were materializing. I could see the outlines of almost every single one from the Dragon Manual. There were even a few that seemed totally alien. But there was something strange. Each shadow was larger and bulbous at the bottom. The Nightmare above us swung lower, towards us, to avoid a rocky overhang. And as it got closer, it became slightly more visible. I was able to make out a sheep, neck twisted and dripping with blood, dangling from the dragon's talons.

Wonderful. The dragons were dragging in their kill. And I was all that Toothless had to offer. What was wrong with him? That was when I spotted the colors. Before us, the mist was losing its pale, sickly glow, and instead acquiring a deep, angry red color. Around us, the columns of stone were dropping away, leaving a storm of dragons traveling over open sea. Before us, another shadow appeared. But this one was different. As we drew close to it, it grew, and grew, and kept growing. This was no column. This was a mountain. And it was from the peak of this mountain that the angry red aura emanated. My jaw dropped. This could only be one thing. The nest.

The dragons around us were starting to call with low screeches and snarls. Toothless however remained silent. I hugged Toothless' neck, trying to make myself flat and blend into his back. Dragons would most certainly not be pleased to find a human flying in their midst. The mountain was still getting larger, and for a moment, I thought that the entire flock would smash directly into its rocky slope. But I managed to pick out the opening that we were headed for. A small gash in the mountainside, near the base that was utterly black and lightless.

Even with my better than average night sight, I could not penetrate the shadows. And with a rushing of wind and the snap of leathery wings, blackness engulfed me. The only feeling was the rushing in my ears. The tunnel's confines reflected the sound back at a much higher volume. But the sound coming from some directions gradually became louder and softer, as I felt Toothless moving beneath me. I closed my eyes. As the sounds around me fluctuated, I began to see movements in the patterns that danced around my closed eyes. A vague tunnel shape was formed, shifting from side to side with the changes in the sound. Then, I saw the shape of the tunnel end, and stretch out into a vast space. I opened my eyes.

Before me, a massive chamber widened out around us. The center was occupied by an enormous hole which emitted a dull orange glow. Poisonous vapors of a dozen different colors swirled above it. Around the pit, shelves of stone lead up and out to the edges of the cavern. The entirety of these ledges, were covered by hundreds, possibly thousands of dragons. The swarm we were currently part of was veering and circling over the hole. As I watched, incredulous, each dragon dropped its burden of food straight down into the pit. This made no sense. Why would the dragons go to such lengths to collect so much food, and not eat any of it? Eventually, the swarm had dropped every bit of meat it carried, and made its way to the only open space on the shelves, just beneath the opening they had flown in through.

The landing was rough. Once again Toothless showed no recognition of the fact that I was on his back. He came in fast and landed heavily. I was sent flying off to the side where I impacted a rock column, and slid to the ground. For a moment, my vision swam. I closed my eyes and let my head throb for a moment. Then tried to push myself into a sitting position. I heard my back crack a few times. Then I opened my eyes. Toothless lay before me crouched, with his belly to the ground and his eyes closed, his back rising slowly with even breathing. This was not a natural position for him to sleep in. It didn't look comfortable at all. But with a glance around, I saw that every single dragon around us, of all species, was crouched in the exact same position, eyes closed. What the hell was this? The cavern had become silent aside from the sound of breathing.

The telltale drone of a Gronkle's wings broke that silence. I looked up to the opening. A smallish Gronkle wobbled through wearing a slightly dazed expression. It flew in an uneven path, until it hovered directly above the hole. It then proceeded to spit out a fish, which fell downwards into the pit. For a moment, the Gronkle turned and made it's way towards the rest of the group that we had flown in with. But before it could clear the pit, I rumble vibrated through the stone beneath me. As I looked on in horror, I massive scaly head lifted from the pit and closed it's titanic jaws around the unsuspecting Gronkle. Without another sound, it fell away and disappeared back into the depths.

My heart was racing. I could feel the adrenaline burning in my veins. What the hell was that thing! We were in trouble. Deep, deep trouble. I had to wake Toothless. I had to snap him out of whatever was wrong with him. But before I could even move, there was a rushing sound and a soft thud. I saw a shadow drop from the sky and land next to Toothless. For a moment, it looked like a shapeless shadow. Then it turned, and I saw it in profile. It seemed totally impossible. But there could be no mistaking it. A Night Fury!

For a moment, the unknown dragon stared down at Toothless' face. Then it lifted a claw and placed it against Toothless' forehead. Blue light flared from the place where the two connected. Slowly, the dragon moved its claw downwards, then to the side, curving up and around. Where the claw passed, a shimmering blue line was left burning against Toothless' scales. The dragon had traced a three quarter circle around the first line, when it made a diagonal slash down through both lines, then made a straight line back, to connect with the base. It then stepped back and with a single bound launched itself into the air. A voice thundered through my head. _"FLY!" _

In my mind, the tiny, cold, hard sphere that was Toothless' mind suddenly warmed. Then it exploded outwards. _"HICCUP!" _A vibration ran through the floor, and a rumbling sound emanated from the pit. I mustered my strength and pushed off from the ground, staggering forward towards Toothless. He was uncurling from his unnatural position and stretching slightly. As he did, the glowing blue symbol on his forehead faded and dissolved into the black of his ground gave an exceptionally violent jerk and I fell against Toothless' side. He looked up at me and I saw something in his eyes that I'd never think to see before. Fear.

I lept into the saddle despite my unsteadiness and flipped the tailfin to a slightly open position in preparation for a climb. Toothless leapt into the air, his mind buzzing frantically. He was confused. He had no memory of how we had come here.

"_That can wait! Let's just get out!" _

Toothless ceased all other thoughts and veered for the opening. I heard the sound of two huge objects meeting just barely behind us. I turned to see the retreating jaws of the enormous dragon, as it slid backwards into the pit. There was a whisper of rustling wings below. The dragons were no longer sleeping. Toothless' mind was still muggy and fogged, he was barely even flying properly! I pulled as many of Toothless' thoughts to my mind as possible. I took it all. The fear, the confusion, and the doubt. I left nothing but his instincts for flight.

Toothless steadied. His flight path became straighter, and his wings beat with renewed ferocity. I chanced a glance behind us. The boiling cloud of dragon wings that followed us into the tunnel, obscured any light that escaped from the pit. Pitch blackness descended on us. For a moment, I almost panicked. Holding all of Toothless' emotions in check was no easy task. For a moment, my hold on them almost slipped. That was when Toothless' wingtip grazed the cave wall. I realized at once that I had been preventing Toothless' vision and hearing! Slowly, very slowly, I released them from the tight packet of thought which I was barely keeping together. Toothless immediately rolled to the right. Gravity almost wrenched me from the saddle. I couldn't keep this up.

Moonlight exploded before us. We rocketed out over the ocean amongst the rock columns. Thoughts were escaping from me. I could not hold them. As Toothless climbed into the misty night, darkness fell over my sight.

XXX

Toothless

Feeling returned in mid air. I was so startled that I almost stopped beating my wings. Where the hell were we? Mist swirled around us filled with immense shadows. No. It could not be. Why were we here! _"Hiccup! What just happened?" _No response. In fact, I felt nothing from my mate. I craned my neck around. The scrawny form of a viking human, was slumped over on my back. _"Hiccup!" _As distressing as it was to see him unconscious, what I saw behind him was almost just as bad. A torrent of dragons poured from the mountain's tunnel.

I faced front again, and narrowly dodged a massive column of rock. My tail was not responding. Hiccup had placed it in full spread, best for gliding. We didn't need to glide. We needed speed! I angled upwards slightly, trying to gain what little altitude was possible. This was looking bad. I glanced over my shoulder again. The dragons were gaining. They had no restrictions, and by their calls, it sounded as though they were out for blood. I was just climbing above the tops of the taller columns, when there was a flash. The mist around me lit up in a violent burst of blue. I looked around again. Dragons were falling from the head of the swarm. Several had veered off to the sides, and several more collided with stone spires. Another blue flash exploded to the right, with similar effects. The dragons had ceased moving forward and now were milling about in a single spot, looking for the source of their difficulty. Unfortunately for them, this made them much better targets. There was a high pitched scream and a third flash of blue.

I wasted no more time. I pumped the muscles in my back as fast as they could possibly move, and limped away from the mist fields of the Dragon Nest.

XXX

The landing, was not soft. Nor was it even a proper landing. Upon reaching the closest possible beach, I dropped. My wings felt as though the next stroke would tear them from my body. The sea washed over me, cool and relaxing. But I could not relax. I whirled and saw Hiccup floating a few feet away. Swiftly, but as gently as I could, I dived, then rose, lifting the small body out of the water with my head. My legs were shaking as well, though they had not been used in our flight. It seemed that I was just completely out of energy. By the time the water became shallow enough for us to leave the water, I could barely support our weight. I managed to get halfway over the beach, heading for the treeline, before I fell. The rocky shore was not kind to my stomach. I felt a groan escape my throat. Hiccup still had not moved, but I could feel his tiny chest rising and falling on top of my head. His mind was a dim flickering in my thoughts.

I knew for a fact that I was fine. I had eaten heartily this past week and I had no open wounds. I would be ready to get up again in a few hours. Hiccup on the other hand... I had no idea what a human needed in this situation. I smelt no blood on him, but his second skin, that was wrapped around his legs, was soaked utterly. Humans did not retain heat very well. Hiccup had been far more resistant to cold these past days, but who knew to what degree he was immune! I swept through Hiccup's foggy thoughts looking for anything helpful. He was definitely feeling cold. That was not good. If he was feeling it, then it was too cold. I searched now for what he needed to warm up.

A blurry, furry face swam to the surface. It spoke. "You daft kids, if you keep those wet clothes on you'll be frozen and dead by mornin! Off with you! Go get dry!" The face dissolved. Dry! Hiccup needed to dry off! A rough, rocky seashore was hardly the place for it though. I forced my body upwards. For a moment, I swayed and almost fell on my face. But I steadied somehow and managed to stagger forwards. After a brief struggle with gravity, I managed to make the treeline. New growing grass was underpaw, this was good. I placed Hiccup as gently as I possibly could in a patch of the softer grass at the base of a tree. Taking a deep breath, I allowed the flap of skin that sealed the passage to my inner furnace to slide away, and I exhaled.

Blue flame washed over Hiccup, bathing his skinny body in a glow of warmth. The fire slid over his skin as if it were stone, while the grass around him withered swiftly and collapsed into ash. Unfortunately, Hiccup's second skin was not as fireproof as he was. In a burst of steam, the garment ignited and swiftly as reduced to the same ash as the grass. I closed my mouth. Hiccup now lay in a bed of glowing embers that hissed and spat. He was already regaining color. I wrapped myself tightly around him, and let my weariness take me.

XXX

Unknown

It was a chaotic rabble. The shadow was easily able to stay running and flying along and between the rock spires fast enough to keep them confused. They could not see any better than a normal dragon. And the shadow's kind had exceptionally good low light vision. It played a little longer, confusing them all the more, untill it was sure that the Shade had escaped. Then it simply took wing into the night, leaving a milling mass of confusion writhing above the waves. _The Shade could not have possibly gone far. He would still be wearing after breaking free of the control like that._ It veered and flew for the nearest island.

XXX

The landing sight was not hard to find. I trench had been scored into the pebbles of the beach where care weary paws had dragged as it hauled itself out of the ocean. It's nose told it the rest. The Shade lay curled beneath a large tree, in a freshly made bed of hot ash. Surprising that it had had enough energy left to create so much fire. A hill lay nearby. The shadow selected a tree in which it would have a clear view of the Shade, and hung itself from the branch, wrapping itself in its wings and keeping one eye open, and fixed on the strange dragon below.

XXX

Astrid

The village was quiet. There was no shouting emanating from the mead hall, and there were no sounds discernible in the houses. All was still. It felt as though her mind had become still as well. She had no thoughts running in her mind. The silence, was absolute. That was when, an explosion ripped the night house on her right erupted in flames. Her neck snapped back. The stars were obscured as writhing forms whipped passed her in the sky. She felt a tear gather in the corner of her eye. This was absurd. She did not cry. She never cried. And yet, somehow, she found herself wishing, that Hiccup was here right now.

A second explosion flared in the distance. I raw bellow escaped from her throat, and she ran for the chiefs house, drawing her knife as she went. Vikings were pouring out of the dwellings on all sides. Each of them carried their favorite weapons and through their rage into the sky with wild battle cries. Astrid glanced above her once again. She almost couldn't see the sky for scales. Fires were springing up all over the newly built village. "Damn it all" she muttered, "I just rebuilt that house." A Zippleback had already landed and was breathing it's flame all over the place, bathing the house fronts with light. With one slash as she ran past, Astrid removed the head that breathed the gas. There was a scream and the other head whipped around trying to catch her leg. She spun around, kicking out and slashing downwards at the same time. The headless lump of meat collapsed. She ran on.

All around her blood was falling. There were too many dragons. They had never fought against this kind of number before. She ran into the main square and stopped dead. The Chief's house, was already ablaze. Yet she had not seen him anywhere in the fight. She ran to the door and shouldered her way through. An inferno leapt forward to embrace her. With her eyes squinted, she could see a hulking figure, sitting in a chair. She ran straight through the flames. The smell of burning hair whipped past her nose. She was moving so quickly, that she ran into the large shape before she could stop.

"Stoic!" No response. "Stoic! Dammit the village needs you!" There was a voice. Feint. She could barely hear it over the raging flames around them.

"He's gone." What? Who?

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"My son. My son is gone. My only son."

"Dammit Stoic if we don't get out of this house you'll be gone as well! Permanently!"

Stoic's head turned slightly.

"Leave me."

Oh for Odin's sake! Astrid threw her shoulder into the massive Viking's side. The chair he sat in was relatively small. It tipped. Stoic fell limply to the floor, making no movement whatsoever to stop his fall. He lay utterly still amidst the flames. Astrid grabbed one massive, meaty arm and started dragging. It took the better part of three minutes to reach the door. Stoic was burning now. His clothing was no longer able to resist the heat. Astrid's eyes were watering, she couldn't see. She could barely breath. Then a strong arm reached passed her and grabbed the other arm of the chieftain. Astrid tumbled backwards and through the door, into the relatively clean air outside. Gobber stood over her and Stoic. The faces of the twins appeared, and cold water rushed over the both of them. Gobber continued to drag Stoic away from the house.

Astrid, struggled to her feet, wiping the water, ash, and tears away from her eyes. She looked around. From all over the village, the Vikings were falling back to here at the village center. It seemed that everyone was preparing for a last stand. This would not do. Astrid gave a shout, her voice ragged, but it retained it's volume.

"To the mead hall dammit! Fall back to the mead hall! It's made of solid stone! We can best defend ourselves in there!" Every Viking turned and glanced first at the still form of Stoic, being dragged by Gobber, then to Astrid, standing beside them. They all turned at once and began running up the hill towards the cliff side. Another Viking ran forward and helped Gobber with Stoic. Astrid grabbed a sword from a nearby Viking corpse and ran to the end of the line. Several Vikings were carrying or assisting wounded comrades. She helped the defenders keep the dragons off the wounded.

A Nadder leapt down from the roof of a burning house, as it landed, Astrid drove the point of her sword deep into its chest, twisted, and pulled back. The dragon collapsed. A pair of Gronkles came buzzing in from the side. One of her fellow defenders managed to plant a spear in the ground and let the left dragon impale itself, while Astrid made a kick into its lower jaw, and brought her sword down in a stab to the center of its head. Both dragons fell.

A series of combats ensued as the dragons tried to pick at the line of Vikings that were trying desperately to reach the cover of the mead hall. Halfway there, Astrid's defending companion was ripped in two by a Monstrous Nightmare, before Astrid was able to slit its throat. Finally, the last of the line was staggering through the doors, Astrid stood at the end watching the village burn before her. She thought that it had been bad when Hiccup was here. His leaving, seemed to have triggered the untold wrath of the enemy. She stepped backwards into the shelter of the doors. As the doors swung shut, a Terror tried to leap at her face through the gap. She swung her sword in an upward arc before her. Blood splattered her front and face, and the two halves of the dragon landed behind her, as the doors were sealed with a boom.


	21. Chapter 21

Ok hi guys, I am indeed still alive, and I know that this chapter is late beyond all reason. Truth is, life got complicated all of a sudden, but the end of school is approaching! Once we hit summer I'll be writing as often as I can. Now, I was so excited to finally have a new chapter that I'm uploading hot off the press with no attempt at editing. Sorry about grammar issues! Anyone who is still out there do please review!

Chapter 21

Hiccup

The first sensations were comforting. The first thing that I noticed was the pain. It was lovely to have that tie to reality. A burning pulse that never deviated. Each thud in my chest sent fire racing through my veins. That was normal. A little farther out, around my body, I found my comforting second heartbeat, pulsing along against my rigid, hard, smooth surfaces that enveloped me, rustled and shifted as my other body breathed. I didn't think I would ever get tired of waking up here.

"_Dare I even ask where we are?" _The curtains of scales shuddered and rocked around me, as Toothless' laughter resonated through my spine.

_"I hardly think it matters. So long as it's not Berk, or a nest full of angry dragons and their Queen." _Silence.

_"Their Queen?" _The dragon's lungs inflated to their fullest, and released.

_"The Queen, is the controller of the hive. She makes every decision for every dragon that lives there. You and I manipulate our own minds to benefit ourselves in various situations, and to communicate. The Queen, breaks minds. Separates the thoughts, and then compresses them into a meaningless ball of solid being. The thoughts of the individual are suppressed, leaving the Queen, to fill the empty shell with her own desires. She used to be a dragon of normal size for her age, about twice as big as me. Then she started to gain others. She snared passing dragons one by one, building a force to use against those enemies she hadn't found yet. She used that force to bring her food. Lots of it. It seemed that her body was uniquely equipped to handle the excess. She doesn't bother moving her own body anymore. She has a few thousand smaller bodies to do her labor for her. The entire mass moves as one, because every one of the bodies, is driven by a single mind."_

Toothless' body had been tense and rigid throughout his telling. It didn't relax as he lay, silently waiting for me to respond. I took a few moments to think.

_"How do you know all of this?"_

The casement of wings pulled back slightly and I felt a dull snout bump against my head.

_"Because. For the better part of my life, I lived as a slave, with Her constantly whispering in my mind. Until you set me free."_

I felt a small prick in my chest. A sharp pain. The fire in my heart intensified and I felt my brow crease. The tide of anger was sudden, and overwhelming. The comforting darkness of Toothless' embrace, was replaced by a flickering image of an enormous head looming out of a pit. My fists clenched. But just as I was about to vent my anger against the enormous monstrosity, pressure compressed my body on all sides.

A light, moist current of air brushed against my ear. _"Hiccup, calm down. It's over, and we don't have to worry about Her, or anything else." _

_"Let me go Toothless! I need to..."_

_"There is nothing you need to do."_

Without my command, my body was writhing and jerking, trying to move and hit something. For more than five minutes I sat there, boiling in my own anger. Toothless showed no response to my strugglings, or my demands for freedom. It felt as though I would explode with the violent forces pent up within my body. Then, Toothless started purring. The sound was so happy, I at first was utterly confused. But then I became aware of Toothless' mind. Memories were flowing past like a river. And all of the memories involved us two. Our first, pleasant, meeting. Our first flight. The afternoons that blurred by in sunny clouds of carelessness. The fact that meeting Toothless, had destroyed every problem in my life.

The purr resonating from Toothless' chest deepened, and the shaking of my body, was overwhelmed by the vibrations running through my , my anger faded, and the relaxing rhythm of Toothless' pulsing breath left me floating.

_"You know, I never thought I'd be teaching a youngling how to control their anger."_

_"...What?"_

_"It's a common problem in my kind. A youthful Shade has a fiery temper to match it's internal furnace. It is the duty of a parent to teach the youngling how to survive. Survival depends on skill, and skill is a direct result of control. You remember your first hunt?"_

_"So, the majority of a Shade's life is governed by their control of their own mind?"_

_"Exactly. There is nothing a Shade cannot do, if they have total mental discipline." _

Whilst that was sinking in, the interruption came. We felt an alien consciousness slide past our mind. Toothless rolled to the side, simultaneously opening his wings. His momentum allowed him to get his feet on the ground. I used the motion of the wings to flip me belly down to land crouched on all fours with Toothless standing above me. A wall of scales pressed downwards on my back, and retreated again as Toothless drew breath, and unleashed a challenging roar.

XXX

Unknown

It was quite strange. I have observed many minds in my time, but this Shade's was different. Its defenses were as unyielding as stone, but like any other dragon, it could not hide it's mood. The glowing ball of light shimmered in my mind's eye. I had no knowledge of what it was thinking about, but I could certainly see the conflict. The mind before me seemed to be constantly at odds with itself, feeling two emotions at once. When it first awoke, it was completely happy and amused. Then it had become sad, and wistful, but it was also curious. Now it was simultaneously happy, as well as wrathful. No wait, it was amused and interested. It was as if there was a two sided conversation going on within one mind! Perhaps the dragon was mad. But to determine that, I'd have to take a closer look.

And that was my mistake. I edged in closer to try and determine what sort of creature I was dealing with. But I stretched too far. A stray thought bumped against the stranger's mind. It was the oddest thing I had ever felt. Half seemed to be that of a normal Shade, but the other half was off. Different. Alien. Of course, the moment I touched it, the Shade exploded. He rolled and pulled his wings up and out, landing on his feet with the wings spread, an imposing snarl ripping up and out of his throat. Typical male. Bellowing his discomfort to the world and simultaneously giving away his position to any and all potential enemies. But as far as I could tell, he hadn't seen me yet. The rising sun at my back was perfect cover. I would just look like part of the tree.

Below me, at the bottom of the hill, the Shade froze. Its entire body became stone, and I could barely see it draw breath. Its eyes whipped back and forth across the forest and I knew it was searching. Then, it did the strangest thing. It dipped its head and stuck it between its own fore legs and stood frozen there. The stance looked almost unnatural. It didn't move for an entire ten minutes. I had relaxed back into my tree when it exploded into motion again. The stranger tossed its head in a bestial way and went charging up the hill. Trees and bushes and all manner of plant life were decimated by the wild charge. He seemed to be running in a direction that was utterly random. There was no question. This dragon was mad. Completely insane. Perhaps I could put it out of its misery. That was when I felt the feather light touch of another mind.

I was aware of the mind of the beast raging and snorting below me, but I felt a separate touch, from a mind that seemed to be the same, and yet was also different. For a moment, I thought that the dragon had split in two. That was when I felt an impact in the center of my back.

It was so surprising that my tail straightened involuntarily and I dropped toward the ground, with some kind of weight stuck to my back. Despite my surprise I managed to pivot and land on my feet. I whipped my tail across my back, trying to get a hit on whatever creature was stuck there. Then, the weight disappeared. But I was not able to assess the location of my assailant, before another, much more powerful force smashed into my side. I was rolling. The world spun around me and before I could even bare my swing with my tail, my legs, tail, and wings were all pinned to the ground.

XXX

Toothless

It went over well. Hiccup was right, the stranger was extremely distracted. It was rather easy for me to take advantage of that. A little mild insanity is enough to catch anyone's attention. I kept her gaze riveted on me whilst Hiccup ran around to the opposite side of the hill. He managed to hit a soft spot in the spine, because the stranger dropped like a rock. The scent that wafted down the hill as it fell, caught me by surprise. This strange dragon was a female. She landed on her feet, but she had a smiling teenage viking stuck to her back. In her efforts to get him off, she had completely forgotten about me. I made a dart for the top of the hill, and planted my shoulder firmly against hers. She seemed to be about my age, but being a female, she was slightly smaller. I rolled her easily. She seemed almost frozen in surprise because I was able to pin her easily. I stared down at the stranger.

She had a fairly attractive face, sloping lines and soft ridges. Had I been searching for a mate, she might have attracted my attention. Her anger spoiled her looks though. A guttural snarl tore open her mouth and I was struck in the face by her feminine scent. And I felt the strangest compulsion, for just one moment, it seemed as though this female might be a threat to my claim on Hiccup. I opened my mouth and returned her hostilities, with three times the volume.

_"Is that how Shades greet each other? By yelling in each others faces?"_

_"No that's not... I wasn't.. Oh nevermind!" _The females face quickly became confused, and a high pitched voice resounded in my head.

_"Are you mad? I think you must be. You keep talking to yourself." _Now it was my turn to be confused.

_"And exactly what do you mean by that?"_

_"You're feeling two different emotions, independently at once. Curiosity and anger. It's as though you are two separate beings."_

An incredulous tinge entered my voice._"How do you know what I'm feeling?" _

_"I think I'm the one asking the questions here."_

That was amusing. _"I do believe that YOU are the one who's pinned."_

The female's face now shifted to one of discomfort. She wriggled from side to side, trying to shift any one of her limbs. Then another voice piped up in my head.

_"You know, she's kinda pretty."_

_"What? Shut up you. She was sneaking around and spying on us!"_

_"How do you know she was spying on us?"_

_"Because she... Well..." _I shifted my mind back to the female. _"Were you spying on us?" _her eyes widened.

_"Whose us?" _I shut my eyes.

"_You're not very good at this interrogation thing are you Toothless?" _

"_Hiccup will you PLEASE stop talking in my ear while I'm talking to this strange dragon?"_

The female piped up again. _"You're calling me strange? I'm not the one talking to myself." _I then realized that I had let my control slip. Our conversation had been loud and broadcasted.

"_Look, how about we all calm down.."_

"_You're the only one who's not calm bud."_

I sucked in as big a breath as I could and let it back out. _"Ok, I'm calm, now, what were you doing so close to us? It's not the mating season, and our species is solitary for the entire year otherwise."_

_"How about this? I'll tell you a few things about myself, if you let me up, and tell me who 'us' is." _

I considered for a moment, before coming to a decision. _"Fine. But one false move and I'll have you staring at your own lungs."_

_"Hey Toothless, I know the whole protection instincts are a little strong but, isn't that threat a little unnecessary?" _

_"I just don't want trouble." _And with that, I leapt backwards, leaving the female to scramble to her feet, and I retreated to sit beside the boulder on which Hiccup perched in a three legged crouch.

XXX

Unknown

I was on my feet in moments, the indignity of my restraint forgotten, as I stared at the strange sight before me. The male sat there, wings folded, next to a large stone that was flat and set low in the ground. On this stone was perched, of all things, a human. Not only that, but this human had the male Shade's tail wrapped securely about its middle, and it had a huge smile on its face. I could not believe my eyes. Humans in the north didn't smile if any of my kind were anywhere near them. They ran in terror. But then, they also were always garbed in the skins of other creatures. This human was utterly devoid of an extra skin. It was obviously male. His skin also seemed to be changing somehow. I could see the glint and shimmer of glossy black scales. The scale of a Shade. A straight line of the scales ran from the creature's right shoulder, down across the side of its torso, while a line of separated scales ran from the other side of his neck, down, over his chest and stopped at his left shoulder. That mark made a twinge at the back of my mind, it seemed like it should be significant.

Also, his left eye was highlighted by a line of scale that ran out from under his fur and down past the eye tapering off midway down his face. That discoloration caught my attention, because I could see an almost identical scar, marring the face of the strange male Shade. The Shade spoke.

_"This is the other part of 'us'." _He looked down at the human, his eyes softening as he did. At the same time, the human turned his head, and looked up at the Shade, his smile widening even further. It was only upon seeing this silent exchange, that I realized why the mark on the human's shoulder was nagging at me. It was identical, to the mating scars that I had seen on the paired females in the North! This Shade must be mad after all. He had claimed a human. He even went so far as to pretend that it could talk to him by making up a separate voice for it within his own head. _"Alright then. I let you up, and I introduced you to my Hiccup. Now, who are you, and what are you doing so close to us in an off season?" _

As he was speaking, I allowed myself to analyze his body to assess the threat he presented. The sight before me brought me up short. There was.. something stuck to him. Lines ran across his chest and around his stomach. I could not figure out their purpose. Judging by the scars and the strange _thing _he wore, I think that he must have taken some kind of abuse, and lost his mind in the process. I looked up to see that he was expecting an answer.

I drew a deep breath. This insane creature would be of no benefit to the Home Cave, I would simply act quickly and escape.

_"My name is Ryshkaa. Why I am near you is of no concern to you. Just be glad that you're alive. Hopefully, we'll never cross each other's paths again." _With that, I opened my wings and launched myself into the sky.

XXX

Hiccup

The female starred at us for a few minutes. Actually she seemed to mostly be starring at Toothless. Then she simply said that her name was Ryshkaa, and that her reasons for being here were of no concern to us. Before either of us could say anything, she had taken wing, straight up to the sky. Toothless let out an angry snarl and I leapt sideways. I felt my foot slip into the stirrup and we jumped into the sky after her.

Toothless was beating his wings faster than he ever had in the past in an effort to catch up with her. Her name reverberated through our mind. _Ryshkaa.. ryshkaa.. RYSHKAA! _I caught an image of a tiny Night Fury rolling around in the snow. The female called Ryshkaa, leveled out above us and I kept my eyes on her as we climbed. After straightening her course to the north, I saw her reach downward with one of her claws. The same blue light that I had seen in the nest lit its tip. But now, she brought it up to her own body. She made a curling gesture towards her own chest.

_"Umm, Toothless?" _But he ignored me. He was too focused on catching up with the female. As I watched, glowing blue lines spiraled and swirled crazily around her legs and across her belly, creating strange patterns and images. The lines were especially think on her wings as the continued to extend and curl. _"Toothless?" _But he still took no heed. We were now at the same height, chasing directly behind the female. As I watched the blue lines stretch across her tailfins, Toothless made one last extreme push with his wings, and he clamped down on the tail with his teeth extended.

As Ryshkaa screeched in surprise and pain, I saw the lines flare brighter and brighter, until they were white. Then, the world distorted around me. Each line and image blurred into a long, contorted image to itself, and the last thing I saw of the world, was the sun hanging directly over the head, before that two blurred and disappeared behind us.


	22. Chapter 22

Ok first I shall extend my deepest apologies for the horribly long time interval between this update and my last. Tech problems were the biggest issue there, but I think that everything is working again. I'd like to announce that once I have completed this story, I'm going to go back and re edit the whole thing because as we all know it's riddled with grammatical errors. Once it's done it will be uploaded to DeviatArt.

Now then, I beg feed back as usual as it helps me write, and oh yes, since _Salacune_ isn't a registered user I'm leaving this thanks in the A/N. Your review was a great source of inspiration to me in past days. Thank you so very much!

Please R&R everyone!

Chapter 22

Astrid

It was quite a while before the thuds against the door ceased. I really couldn't understand why the beasts didn't just burn their way through the door. It would have been easier. But for some reason, they continued to apply nothing more than brute force. And that door was built for brute force. What remained of the village huddled together in small groups, with long shadows slung across the room by the sputtering light of fireplace and torch. After the dragon's attempts to gain access to the hall had subsided, I was fairly certain that it was just one Gronkle beating its head against the door, I stood from the bench that had supported me through my watch.

I turned and strode deeper into the dark of the hall. It had never seemed this dark on any of the other evenings that I had spent here. Every corner had always seemed well lit and the mood was always happy and cheerful. Now the shadows had grown, and become deep, as if they fed on the despair that was apparent in every Viking's face. My destination soon emerged from the gloom, the table that held the other children my age. Each of them clutched at a tankard as if it were a dear friend. Before I sat, I passed the table and took my own tankard from the counter at the back of the hall, and filled it with generous measure of mead. Then, drink in hand, I went back and collapsed into a seat next to Ruffnut. I took a long draft from the tankard, and it wasn't until I set it back down that I noticed that they were all looking at me. Fishlegs' eyes were wide with awe. Ruffnut looked incredulous. And Tuffnut, his eyes looked dead. It was as if the life had been sucked out of his body, leaving it a starring, empty husk. And a glance to the side told me why. Next to Tuff was a blank space. A gaping hole where Snotlout used to sit.

"What?" My voice lacked emotion. I just didn't seem able to muster any kind of emotion.

Ruffnut was the first to speak, and her voice held all the despair and grief that saturated the room. "That was horrible. That was worse and the last raid. And the last raid wiped away half of the village. Now what? There's barely anyone left."

I tried to say something positive. "We don't know that. No one has tallied the survivors."

"They were dying by the dozens out there." Fishlegs' voice trembled slightly. "I saw someone being eaten alive by Terrors. I can't even remember the last time anyone was killed by a Terror."

This was no good. We can't just all sit here and baste in our own fear. I stood abruptly.

"Where are you going?" Fishlegs' voice still quavered nervously.

"To find out what's to be done." I turned and strode toward the large counsel fire pit. A small fire had been lit in the center, but its flame was small and weak. It barely lit the faces of the elder Vikings standing around it. At the head, where Stoic usually stood, was Gobber. He leaned heavily on the stone table before him, and he gazed into the fire with hooded eyes. He looked as if the world had dropped onto his shoulders. His lips were moving, muttering to the group. It took a moment for me to get within hearing distance.

"How many survivors?" It was the closest Viking on his left that answered, muttering back through a heavy gray beard. It was the eldest male in the village, Vergan. A man of great age and wisdom. He had suffered an injury to his spine in his fifties, cutting off control of his body below the waist. He got around now by supporting his weight and balancing on a pair of crutches that he held in his hands, and he now acted as a voice of great reason and experience.

"About eighty Gobber." His voice was low and raspy, and the words it spoke sent ripples of silence outward around the counsel and beyond. What little color that remained in Gobber's face drained away entirely. I felt chills run first up, and then down my spine.

"Eighty?" he whispered. "Eighty total? That is all that remains? How can that be?" Vergan answered in the same low rasping voice. The tone did not change at all. It sounded oddly monotone, almost bored.

"It was unlike any previous dragon attack. As near as I have been able to tell, you see I've spoken with a good number of the survivors, it seems that all of the night watch were targeted and killed before the attack even began. No alarm was sounded. There was no warning whatsoever. Furthermore, they did not touch our food. I was watching most of the battle from my chair outside of my house next to the mead hall. None of the flock were carried away. In fact, they never even as much as came near the flock. I got the tenders to drive a large number of them in here along with a very decent amount of feed."

Gobber scratched his head with his hook. "Well, we won't starve any time soon at the very least. And the spring will supply water as well." That was true. The mead hall housed the mountain spring that acted as a supply of fresh water for the brewers. Gobber was silent for a little while longer before he raised his voice. "Alright! We have food, and we have water. What we need, is information. We will wait until tomorrow at noon and at that point we will crack the doors, and see what there is to be seen. The dragons seem to have gone mad with bloodlust. If they are gone, then we go out and acquire as many resources as we can, to sustain sheltered life here in the hall. If they are still out there, then we shall have to make do with what we have, and think of something else."

All of the surrounding Vikings muttered ascent, and started to disperse. I made my way over to Gobber who was now rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. After a while of standing there in front of him, he finally looked up, and raised an eyebrow at me, silently asking me what I wanted.

"How is Stoic?" Gobber let out an immense sigh.

"The Elder is with him. She refused to tell me anything and just said to keep everyone away until she is finished with whatever it is she does. I don't know Astrid, some of those burns were pretty severe. I'm not sure if even Stoic could survive them."

I wasn't sure what else to say. Stoic was a monster of a man. Surely he could overcome any physical ailment. But who knew? Maybe even the great chief had a limit to the amount of punishment his body could take.

"Get some sleep Astrid. I want you with any scouting party that we send out tomorrow." That came as a bit of a surprise. My adulthood ceremonies had not taken place yet. I wasn't a true member of the village population yet. It seemed that Gobber could read my thoughts on my face, because he said, "I saw you run into a burning building and pull out a man three times your size, and I also saw you kill more dragons in one night than most of the villagers could kill in a month. I don't care about formalities, you're a true Viking in my eyes." And with that, he turned and limped off toward the flock and its tenders. Something about his words, stuck and nagged at the back of my mind, leaving my lips creased by a frown.

XXX

Ryshkaa

I thought I was fine. I was the fastest flier in Home Cave. No one could catch me. I gained a decent amount of height, and pointed my nose directly north, towards home. I called my fire through my veins to my claw, and made the swishing line across my chest, that would complete the rune of _speed _that Alda had drawn on my chest weeks before. I felt the power being pulled out of my veins, to twist and spiral over my body, and ahead of me, a ring in the sky discolored and started to wave. I could get no closer to the ring; it stayed at the exact same distance in front of me. The blue sky within the ring faded and darkened. Instead, there was an image of a mighty mountain peak, surrounded by ice and framed against a starry sky. Home. But just before I could relax and pass through, I felt icy pain lance into my tail. I knew that deviating my attention could get me killed, so I ignored the pain and let the fire lines peak. Around me, the world distorted and blurred as I accelerated to speeds that no living thing could possibly achieve. Air and smell disappeared. But an enormous weight dragged at my tail. The mad Shade! It must have caught up to me!

The lines were burning hotter, too hot. With my own resources, I did not have enough energy to carry both myself, and him all the way to Home Cave. If my furnace went out… No. I would not let that happen. I pulled what tiny amount of fire was left into my claw and pulled the claw to my chest. I deftly inscribed the rune of _nullify _over that of _speed._I felt the rune's cold power reach out, and extinguish the fire lines of traveling. I felt myself begin to slow.

Then, we were snapped back into reality and the air of the Earth, returned and hit me in the face. The beautiful image of the starlit mountain disappeared as my course skewed and warped. I had little energy left now, my wings felt as though they were made of ice. I dropped from the sky. The darkness surrounded me as I fell to the white covered Earth below. Just before I fell asleep, a voice shouted in my head.

_"DAMN IT ALL!"_

XXX

Hiccup

It was extremely disorienting. I couldn't see, I couldn't smell, and I couldn't hear. I could only feel the fiery warmth of Toothless beneath me. I thought that perhaps we might be dead. But then, ahead of me, there was light. Blue. The color of exceedingly hot flames. Patterns swirled in the empty space ahead, lines of blue fire twisted and swirled before me. They traced the outlines of a Night Fury. The lines were beautiful. Mesmerizing.

And as I watched, a new line started to appear. A crossing of two straight lines, with a curved swoop running around the center, all set within a circle. When it was complete the center of that crossing radiated darkness. Slowly, all of the lines started to disappear. They were dulled, and then faded into nothing. I felt a pit open in my stomach. I had to know that those lines were.

Before us, far in the distance, a single point of light pierced the darkness. For a moment, absolutely nothing happened. Then the light exploded. The world expanded outwards from that point and surrounded Toothless and I, snapping into place on all sides and the air slapped me in the face. My grip on Toothless' back was overpowered and I was wrenched backwards. With that, we were tumbling down through the sky above a land completely alien to us. The most disturbing thing was the lack of water. There was absolutely no ocean anywhere between the visible horizons. The land below was completely blanketed in snow. The sun seemed to have shifted slightly in the sky. It was farther south than it had been moments before. Toothless and the Stranger tumbled through the air below me. Toothless jerked and woke, but Ryshkaa continued to fall towards earth. Toothless looked up towards me.

_"DAMN IT ALL!" _I snapped my arms to my sides and my legs together and dove towards them. Toothless beat his wings, pushing himself downwards toward the female. I managed to position myself above his back, just as he grabbed Ryshkaa around the middle with all four legs. My feet slid into place, and our tailfin flew open. We took the weight of the seemingly unconscious dragon and our wings burned as we angled. We could not support this much weight. The best we were going to be able to do was make the fall nonfatal.

The white landscape below was ridged, small white hills that rose and fell in a totally smooth, white rolling landscape. At first, we tried to beat our wings hard enough to slow our fall, but the pain in our second pair of shoulders was too great. We angled for a collision with the very apex of one of the snow banks. Since Ryshkaa was hanging below us, she hit first. It was a very dull thud, and the snow erupted around us. Unfortunately, we were still holding her at the time. As Ryshkaa stopped suddenly, we were slung straight downwards on the other side of the drift. We tumbled for a ways, and then eventually came to a stop.

XXX

Toothless

My body wasn't moving, but the world still spun around me. I couldn't remember ever being this.. dizzy? Yes Hiccup would use the word dizzy. Whatever Ryshkaa had done, my head had not been ready to deal with it. Furthermore, having landed in a snow drift with absolutely no idea where I was, I was feeling somewhat less than pleased. I had just about had it with all of the danger and rescues. Sure we were in the wild, and in the wild, there was always danger, but it seemed as if I had been saving someone or another every day, for the entirety of the last week! I staggered to my feet. Hiccup was rolling around in the snow at my side, laughing uproariously. I smile crossed my face, he was so easily amused.

Ryshkaa on the other hand lay on her back, wings splayed out to either side with her tongue hanging out, near the top of the drift we had crashed into. She was going to be answering a lot of questions when she woke up.

A shiver passed through my body. It felt wrong. Very, very wrong. How could I be cold with my internal furnace blazing merrily in my chest? I whipped around and stared at Hiccup. He had stopped rolling, and now sat bolt upright, eyes wide. As I watched, a shiver passed through his body. I leapt to his side and drew him against my chest with my wings. It seemed that we had discovered his temperature limit. This place was cold. Very, very cold. And Hiccup would not be able to stand it long without that second skin that his people called clothing.

I would have to figure out where the nearest human settlement was. Hiccup could no doubt acquire clothes there.

_"Hey, it's not nice to think about me as if I'm not here." _A finger tickled the side of my neck. The feathery sensation made my back arch and a thrum left my throat before I could stop it. And just like that I was on my side. Without exhibiting a single bit of his greater than usual physical strength, Hiccup had put me on the ground.

_"Well, I could argue that it's not very nice to incapacitate those that are just trying to keep you warm." _Hiccup pushed gently against my side, and again my body acted without my command, folding my wings and rolling sideways onto my back. The boy hopped agilely onto my stomach and crouched there with an impish grin.

_"Exercise is an excellent way to get warm." _And with that he delivered a poke to my side that caused my entire body to jerk. And with that he had leapt away, and was racing through the ankle deep snow. I rolled, and felt the white powder fly up and out behind me as I launched myself after him.

XXX

Hiccup was right. By the time we had come to a rolling, chuckling, and in a moment's case, flaming stop, there was steam rising from Hiccup's hair. I knew that it was just his mammalian perspiration reacting with the cold air, but it still fascinated me. How often do you get to see something's head actually steam? I felt more laughter rock me. We had slid to a stop, not very far away from the hill where Ryshkaa lay sleeping, with both of us on our stomachs, though Hiccup was on top of my head. I snorted.

_"How did you end up on my head?"_

_"Probably the same way you wound up serving my every whim."_

_"Excuse me?" _An impish little face appeared upside-down before me.

_"Oh come now, you couldn't refuse me anything could you?" _I thought for a moment. Then I tossed my head upwards. Hiccup was thrown into the air, twisting and twirling, trying to right himself to land on his feet. Before he could however, I threw myself forward, intercepting his falling body. I got the claws of one paw over his middle, and threw him down into the snow. He was effectively pinned. He was also gasping for breath and struggling rather weakly. Hmm, perhaps I'd hit him a little hard.

_"Let's test that. Would you perhaps like to get up?"_

_"…Maybe." _Hiccup did his best to make his thoughts quavery and pathetic.

_"Well, too bad." _And with that I settled myself comfortably, with my paws and head resting directly on his stomach. His eyes got huge and he stared up at me. _"No. It so happens that I am quite comfortable and I have no interest in getting up." _A small smile cracked Hiccup's face.

_"I said maybe. I didn't give any confirmation." _I felt as though my head were becoming heavier. It was becoming harder and harder for my neck to support its weight. But of course, there was no problem with my neck. Hiccup's eyes were the problem. Their pupils were pitch, but the iris around it was vibrant green, the color of summer leaves and new pine needles. I noticed that his eyes were not the slitted copies of a Shade's eyes that I had seen on the cliffs of Berk. They were round like a human's, and yet, they were not entirely human. The shade of green in his iris, was not uniform. It was flickering, changing in patches between shades of lighter, and darker green. It reminded me of the light and shadows cast by a fire. It was completely mesmerizing. I didn't even notice when Hiccup pulled one of his hands free until he reached up and brushed it against my face, tracing the scar under my left eye.

I was unable to stop my head's descent, and warmth blossomed up from the place where the tip of my nose touched my Hiccup's forehead. It was a strange, tingly sensation the likes of which I had never felt. And it quickly spread upwards past my nose and down through my neck. Hiccup's hand slid across my face around to my neck, leaving a trail of liquid warmth where it passed. I pulled back slightly, wondering exactly what I was feeling. What I saw made my breath catch. Hiccup lay beneath me just as he had been before smiling up at me. But the flickering in his eyes, the fluctuations of the colors were moving faster. And the portions of darkness were becoming less distinctive. His irises were steadily becoming brighter. I was just trying to figure out what to say, when there was a rustling somewhere to our right. Simultaneously, our heads snapped up and to the side, searching for the source. Our breath stopped and my ears leapt high.

A few small pieces of snow came rolling down the drift to our right, and our eyes both jerked upwards, to lock on the stirring figure of Ryshkaa.

XXX

Ryshkaa

_"Remember, you cannot expend more energy than you have." _

_"I know Alda."_

_"And make sure there aren't any mistakes or wavers in your line."_

_"I __**know **__Alda."_

_"Did you eat a decent breakfast?"_

_"__**Alda! **__Could you __**please **__just let me get on with it? If you keep worrying at me you'll probably cause me to make a mistake. Then how would you feel?" _

_"Child, please just be careful. I'd never forgive myself if you hurt yourself."_

_"You are so absurd."_

My eyes jerked open, and the sun blinded me. As they snapped shut, I checked on the rest of my body. Nothing felt broken, which in and of itself was shocking, and it seemed that the only ailment that afflicted me was a horrible crushing weariness. My entire body was stiff and I couldn't move very fast. I was completely stationary and for some reason, my pulse was thundering in my ears. I finally realized that the blood had all run into my head. I must be on my back.

I squinted my eyes and let them slowly acclimatize to the excessive light of the sun. The feeling of the snow against my back was unnatural. It was a horrible feeling. My kind were lords of the night and sky! On my back is one thing that I never am. I threw my weight to the side and slowly began to tilt. Snow was dislodged and went tumbling down the drift as I struggled to shift my feet around and under me. Just as I managed to roll onto my side, there was a shushing sound as snow was sent flying and a tremendous force smacked into my back. I was sent tumbling and rolling down the drift.

I landed in a heap about twenty feet below at the foot of the snow pile. My reflexes kicked in before I could even think, and I was on my feet, low to the ground with my teeth bared. The blood began to drain quickly from my head in a disorienting rush, and so I was not able to react quickly enough when the sky was obscured above me. A Shade's folded tailfin slapped across my face. The distraction prevented me from seeing the swinging paw. My head was whipped to the side and the Shade's threw its weight against my shoulder in the same direction. I was rolled on the ground again! This mad beast had immobilized me twice in one day! I lost my temper. Strength flooded my muscles, fueled by my anger. Before the Shade could pin me, I shoved upwards with all four of my legs, releasing a howling snarl as I did.

The male went flying off to the side, and I was after him in a heartbeat. He was the one rolling across the snow now. All seven of his limbs were flailing desperately, trying to push himself back onto his feet. I couldn't have that. As I barreled into him again, he was set once more on his back and I settled with all of my legs pinning his out at his sides. A snarl dripped from his jaw that had no indication of stopping. I returned it in earnest.

_"There you two go again growling in each other's faces." _The tone of the tone was so amused and nonchalant, that I glanced around, trying to find who had thought. But there was nobody there. There was no one here but me, the mad, and now quite angry, male Shade. And that strange deformed human child sitting calmly in the snow. But who cared about him? _"You know, Toothless, this is just a hunch, but I think that she would be a lot more open to talk if you stopped attacking her. She doesn't seem to like it." _

That thought was followed by silence. The Shade beneath me had turned its head away from me, and it was glaring up at the human. _"Hiccup, will you __**please **__just let me handle this?" _The creature may be insane, but I felt supremely insulted for his utter disregard of my position of power. I could tear his throat out right now if I wished to! And yet he insisted on maintaining the charade of an intelligent human! I reared my head back in preparation for the death blow. And stopped dead.

Somehow, in the time it took to complete the upward action of my head, the human had moved. He now lay on his back, on top of the mad Shade, below me with his arms behind his head and a half smile on his face. _"Really Toothless why is she so angry? It's not as though we've injured her."_

_"Though we did knock her over a couple of times." _

The human gave a short snort. _'Well what's a couple rolls on the ground among friends?" _

My nostrils flared. The human had called me a friend. No! Not the human, the mad Shade's false voice. Whatever! It had called me friend. I whipped my head downwards to crush the offensive mammal's skull.

XXX

Astrid

The scouting party was assembling next to the door. Soon it would be opened and the situation appraised. And I was going with them. I was making the necessary preparations, sharpening the blades of my knife and my sword. A new ax was yet to be found that suited me. Thoughts of my old ax spun about my head. That weapon had been like a friend. A true companion. It had never let me down. Until the day that it struck a human. The moment I had tried to vanquish the horrible beast, Hiccup had stopped the ax, and both it, and the world's normality had been destroyed. At that exact moment, madness had been unleashed. I can remember now, the horrible wave that had coursed through me, as I heard the wet thud of my ax burying itself in Hiccup's shoulder. It had felt as if something had broken. Something intangible and unseen. Something had shattered. And my life had shattered with it.

I sheathed my blades and leapt to my feet. The past was the past. Now all that mattered was the present and future. I stepped to the rear of the group, as the mighty doors swung open, and the light of the noonday sun fell across my face.


	23. Chapter 23

Ok so, here be's another chapter. Actually it's the biggest chunk of the story I've posted so far, and I'm so happy to have it done that I'm posting it this very moment without combing it thoroughly for grammatical errors. If there is some kind of crushing error that completely derails understanding of what's happening, feel free to PM me with questions. R&R if you please! Onward!

Chapter 23

Astrid

For a moment, the crack between the doors was lit solid white, and then my eyes adjusted. The door was only opened wide enough for one Viking to step through. We ran through in single file, and the sound of tramping boots filled my ears. Then I was surrounded by the outdoors. My training took over. The entire group had a weapon each and those that had retained them, carried shields. The group fanned out in an arc, shields out to the front. Those on the borders all looked in the direction they were pointed, while those on the inside lifted their eyes to the sky. I was on the outer right edge of the formation. My position faced me directly into the forest. For a moment, there was absolute stillness and silence. Then, in unison, the formation called: "Clear." I remained silent. The trees were differently shaped.

"Hold." The word was my signal that something was out of the ordinary. The entire formation froze again into silence. The trees had odd shapes throughout, and it only took me a moment to confirm and count.

"Twenty plus targets, all not moving, treeline." There was a subtle rustling as the formation shifted slightly. Those on my side turned to face my direction, while Vikings from the interior shifted outwards to cover their vacated lines of vision. One of the adults beside me spoke.

"I see 'em. I'd estimate about twenny five. Looks to me like we've caught them sleeping. North side, keep your eyes on the forest. If you see movement we want to hear about it." Grunts of ascent from the north side Vikings. Without another word, the whole formation started out to begin a search of the village ruins. I kept my eyes fixed on those shapes. I had been surprised by a dragon once, and I intended that to be the last time. But of course, that brought thoughts of Hiccup flooding into my mind. Where was he? Was he still with the Night Fury? Why didn't the dragon kill him? What was the basis of this… love, that he had spoken of?

I shook my head. Why was I thinking about it? Hiccup was a traitor to his own race! He didn't deserve thinking of. We had entered the ruins now. The smells of charred wood and death lay heavy on the air. The bodies of fallen Vikings lay everywhere in varying states of horrible violence. Some were so charred that they were unrecognizable. Others lay with expressions of agony on their immobile faces, surrounded by their own blood and vitals. It was a gruesome sight. All of the houses lay in ruins, most were still smoking. The Viking at point spoke quietly.

"Alright lads, three north side lookouts to keep an eye on the snoozers, three in the center of town to watch the skies for ambush, everyone else, spread out and search the village for anything useful. And if I catch anyone goin for personal trophies from their own houses they'll feel the bite of my blade." The formation broke and spread outwards from the center of the village. There were already three guards watching the forest, so I began combing through the ruins. It was quite amazing how thorough the dragons had been in their destruction. Except for the large pieces of wood that had made the houses framework, everything else had become ash so fine it was barely more than dust.

A good twenty minutes of searching brought up nothing useful except more ash. Just as I was about to turn back and make my way back to the center of the village, a large burnt out beam beside me shifted slightly. A tiny whimpering sound came from beneath it. I froze. The beam shifted sideways. I looked down at what it had revealed. Beneath the beam was a depression in the ash, like a little bowl. In this bowl was curled a Terrible Terror. Adrenaline shot through my veins and my eye took in the entire scene in an instant. The Terror was slightly undersized, and its curled body was quivering violently. Its eyes were huge with fear and its left foreleg was bent at a horrible angle, dislocated at the shoulder. Its breathing was rapid and blood dripped from a gash in its chest, most likely from a knife, pooling in the depression's bottom.

I reacted instinctively. My knife seemed to leap into my hand. One quick strike to the base of the skull, instant death. My arm whipped back.

"_You're better than this." _

Hiccup's voice. I heard Hiccup's voice echoing in my head. What had he meant? Then I looked down at the Terror again, and gasped. I couldn't see it as a dragon any more. It was helpless. It had no capacity to harm me. My knife fell from my hand. What was this? Hiccup. He had thought I was beneath him. At first, I'd thought he had been referring to his besting of me in the ring. But now, new thoughts sprung into my head, thick and fast. Hiccup had befriended a dragon. Hiccup had never killed a single dragon. Had he thought.. that he was better because of it? Why was it affecting me so deeply? I should care less!

But try as I might, I could not bring myself to pick up my knife. I looked back to the Terror.

"_I know that there is a person somewhere deep inside you Astrid." _

The Terror's eyes were still filled with fear. And as it tried to shift away from me, it accidentally moved its injured leg. It hissed with pain and curled tighter around itself.

"_Find the person within you."_

I acted seemingly without thought. I dropped to one knee and grabbed the Terror's jaw, sealing it closed with one hand. I felt it whimper. Then with one swift movement, I grabbed the injured leg, twisted, and shoved upwards. There was a very loud click. The Terror jerked and froze. I could not believe what had just happened. Here I was, holding I live Terror in my hands, with not a single weapon drawn. I instinctively lifted my hands away and leapt back. The tiny dragon just sat there, staring up at me, with its head cocked to one side. Still not knowing what in the name of Odin I was doing, I pulled on the beam so that it fell and concealed the dragon again.

I picked up my knife, turned, and marched back to the center of town with my back straight as an elder fir.

XXX

Hiccup

For just a moment, I felt fear at the sight of those enormous fangs. Then I remembered myself. My hand lifted automatically and met the oncoming face. I brushed that special spot and pushed against the right shoulder with my other hand. The body first froze, and then dropped away to the left. I rolled at the same time as Toothless and lifted myself to my feet, while he spun around and bared his teeth at the female. After a moment, she recovered and tried to jump to her feet. She stumbled on the first attempt, but managed it on the second. She stood defensively, staring at us. Toothless began to snarl, and Ryshkaa quickly returned it. The dance was about to start over again.

"_Hold up!"_ I jumped between them, my hands outstretched towards both of them. Ryshkaa recoiled and hissed. Toothless' head on the other hand pushed against my palm. His raging snarl swiftly morphed into a purr. I smiled, and Toothless pushed upwards and nuzzled into my side. As he did, I was turned back towards Ryshkaa so that we both faced her again. My hand shifted from his forehead, back and down around his neck, it ended in that special spot. Toothless' body twitched and writhed behind me, racked with pleasure.

"_You know… I.. think that.. from now on… you're only allowed… to touch ME like this."_ I laughed.

"Tell _you what, I won't touch another dragon, unless your life is in danger."_ Toothless thrummed deeply. _"Or maybe just when I want to tease you."_

"_What!"_ I jumped away as a paw went to swat at my legs.

"_WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT!"_ The thoughts thundered through my head. We both turned towards the female who looked absolutely livid. Our response came in unison.

"_Doing what?"_ Ryshkaa was trembling with anger.

"_Stop pretending that the human can speak. Stop pretending that it's intelligent! The fact that it is comfortable standing there beside you is a mark of its own insanity!"_ Toothless and I slowly turned to each other. She really thought that Toothless was generating my voice_. "It cannot hear either of us! No human has ever gained our level of intelligence! It's a dunce! A dolt! A mindless creature."_ I decided to speak up and crossed my arms.

"_You know it's not very nice to insult people without even acknowledging their presence."_

"I _swear if you continue with this, I will kill you." _She addressed Toothless, still totally ignoring me. Her voice was low and dripping menace.

"_He's correct Ryshkaa, you're not being very polite."_ For a moment, it seemed that the female was going to explode with her anger. Her lips were twitching back, flashing glimpses of her fully extended teeth. Her tail twitched from side to side, and her glare could have curdled yak's milk. Then, she took a deep breath, and blew it all out at once.

"_There is absolutely no way, that you could convince me, that the human is intelligent."_ For a moment, there was silence. Then the air was filled with the gurgling sound of Toothless' laughter. I couldn't hear that sound without breaking instantly into a smile. For a moment, Ryshkaa appeared as though steam might fly from her ears. But before she could, Toothless interrupted her rage.

"_There is absolutely no possible way that you could convince me that he doesn't understand every word we say. And replies in kind."_

"_Fine! Watch this! Human!"_ She barked that last word at me as though I were some kind of dog. _"Do a back flip."_

For just a moment, it was silent again. Then, a smile slowly spread itself across my face, I slowly began to bend my knees…

XXX

Unknown

The waters of the sea were quiet and flat, far from its regular temperament. The waves that normally stretched halfway up the cliff face, barely touched the rock ledge that ran a mere ten feet above the surface. That was how I decided that I was dreaming. The sea was never that calm. I spilled air from my wings, and dived for the mountainside. I took a moment to pick out the small opening of _Home Cave_. It was no more than two wingspans across and half a wingspan high. It took prime echo targeting and flying skills to make it through without killing yourself. Poor Skuru. It had been a freak accident when he'd broken his wing. Once within the comforting space, I made my downwards. Without really any knowledge of how I came there, I found myself in the Ancient Hall. Its walls were strangely blank and empty. Then, I came to the far wall.

This wall had for some reason become extremely reflective, and I stood there, staring at the mirror image of myself. I couldn't help but think, _"My.. You look terrible my friend." _But it seems the dream had other plans for me. The image of my body was contorting. Crunching. Folding inwards . It looked as though I were being compressed down to something tiny. I wanted to look down at myself, but I found that I couldn't move. I stared as my mirror self was compacted into a single point. For a moment, the black speck floated there before me. In the mirror wall, where my body had obscured him, stood a human male. His eyes were round with shock and disbelief. But those eyes were strange. They were full of light, which could not have been a reflection, because there was no other light source. Then, I was blinded by a flash of white fire.

XXX

Toothless

Hiccup hung suspended in the air. I could see each and every one of his hairs swirling and waving around his enormously grinning face. Beyond him, Ryshkaa was frozen. She had been so taken by surprise, that she seemed completely immobile. As Hiccup's legs came back around to catch him, a shudder ran through his body. It would have been invisible to any other being, but I knew more of my Hiccup than any other creature in the world, including myself. This place was still far too cold for Hiccup to live without clothing. As Hiccup landed, he gave a private thought. _"Toothless, I'm fine. It's just a little nippy here that's all." _I glared at him. But I wasn't angry at Hiccup. I switched the target of my glare, and centered my attention on Ryshkaa, who still hadn't moved. With a small shift of my body, I made as imposing of a figure as I could. My wings were slightly unfurled and my stance square. My voice was a lance with which I threw my anger at the female, low and commanding.

_"You will no longer deny my mate's intelligence nor will you speak to him as a lesser being. You will address us both with the respect due a fellow sentient creature. You will help us to hunt a meal for the three of us, and then you will direct us to the nearest human settlement. With that accomplished, or sometime during travel, you will tell us what you did to bring us to this forsaken place, and in general, who you are and what in the name of reality is going on. Sound good? Ryshkaa?"_

The female swallowed. Then nodded.

Hiccup gave a very short laugh.

_"And all I had to do was a trick and all of our problems are solved. Toothless next time we're threatened remind me to do a backflip." _I could not prevent my own chuckle, but the sound was drowned by the gurgling of hunger that rose from my belly.

_"Hiccup, when was the last time we ate?" _My mate's face morphed into an expression of perplexity.

_"I can't even remember. I'm pretty sure it was sometime after we escaped." _

_"In other words, too long as far your body's needs are concerned._

_ "I could do with a bite."_

_ "Well then hurry it up." _Hiccup gave that smile that never failed to tug on my heart. And his single leap landed him square on my back. I saw Ryshkaa's eyes widen. She lost control for a moment, and I felt her thoughts of utter disbelief buffeting against me. In her mind, there was no possible way that a creature of her species, could allow something as fetid and repulsive as a human to sit astride its back.

As soon as Hiccup was astride me, and his foot secure in the stirrup, I leapt giving a call back to the ground. _"So now I guess we find out if you can keep up with us!" _Her response was about as intelligent and respectful as I could have expected.

_"You have let yourself become nothing more than a mount! Don't you dare compare yourself to me!" _And she was after us.

XXX

Hiccup

_"You know, I think she might start to like us after you get done baiting each other. Can we at least hunt in peace without turning it into an angry competition?"_

_ "I'll do my best to be civil Love, but I'm afraid that others of our kind aren't very social creatures. If you put two together of the opposite gender, they tend to try to kill each other." _We made a wide banking turn as Ryshkaa drew level with us.

_"So how does the species even survive?"_

_ "Well, mating season is a thoroughly violent affair. I only know of it from my mother's teachings."_

_ "Our mating wasn't exactly traditional for either of our peoples was it? Hey, maybe our like gender is the reason we don't try to tear each other's throats out?" _We were high in the cloudless sky, though it was hard to tell with the rolling fields of white below us that seemed to stretch on forever.

_"You just might be right. Say, that looks like some kind of rabbit don't you think?"_

_ "Yes, but this meal is going to be very small if that's all that's available. Maybe we should ask her if there's anything bigger around. She might know this territory." _Toothless wasn't happy about it, but he put forth the question anyway.

_"Ryshkaa! Do you know these lands? Is there anything around larger than a rabbit?" _The response was disbelieving and questioning.

_"How long did you spend in the south? This is our species' home. Surely you.. I guess you don't. Wow. Yes, there is larger fare than hares. We hunt caribou!"_ And with that, she tipped into a slanted dive that didn't send her too quickly towards land. It still gradually increased her speed though, and she pulled ahead.

Toothless was about to lift his wings and give chase angrily, but I intervened. _"We have no experience of this land. She does. So long as she doesn't try to leave us, there is no reason for us not to let her lead." _Toothless grumbled, but otherwise remained silent.

_"Hey Toothless?" _

_ "Hiccup?"_

_ "If your mother taught you how to live as a Shade, why didn't she teach you about finding food here in your home?" _I felt a painful pang resound through our mind. And I sensed that Toothless was reliving a memory that was hidden from me. _"Toothless, I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me anything. We can just forget the whole thing." _The dragon beneath me let out a sigh.

_"Hiccup, in terms of mind, there is no distinction between us. Why should I keep things hidden from you?" _And with that, my surroundings fell away.

_**Warmth engulfs me. Mother's scent saturates the air, full, deep and comforting. Happiness. That is the only emotion known to me. Mother says that my mind is ready now. I can start to learn about the world. Predators and prey. Snow and ocean. I will know all there is to know soon. Mother says she'll be very proud when we strike out on our own. Both me and my sister will be all grown up. But we can't explore yet. Mother says that winter is still raging outside. But we can go out in a few weeks. Just a few more weeks. Something brushed against my mind and I opened my eyes. I was curled snuggly against my Mother's belly, her tale securing me and keeping me from all danger. Farther up, towards Mother's head, lay my sister. Her scent was in the air too, though not as powerful as mother's. It was hard and sharp, familiar and comforting, and yet not all that appealing. She was about my size, though obviously a bit smaller. But as I looked at her, that strange feeling brushed against my mind again. Mother was still sleeping. **_

**"Hey." _Sister twitched. _"Hey!" _I could feel her little mind now, it wasn't tucked snuggly inside the den as it should be. It was ranged out far and wide, outside of Mothers protection. _"What are you doing? Mother said it's dangerous to go outside before we know more!" _Sister's mind retreated into the den. _**

**"Shut up! You'll wake her!" _she hissed._**

** "She should be woken!" _I shouted back._**

** "Look it's alright! I didn't go very far and I didn't find anything living!"**

** "Who cares? Mother said it was extremely dangerous for anything to range outside the den!" _It was then that mother finally started to awaken. My loud mind voice had penetrated her exhausted sleep._**

**"What's going on little ones? Who's shouting? I need my rest if we're to get out of here when summer finally comes."**

** "Ryshkaa extended her mind outside!"**

** "You little sneak! I'm gonna.." _Mother cut her off._**

**"Is this true? Ryshkaa! You tell me right now. Did you go outside?"**

** _Sister hung her head. _"Yes."**

** _With an almighty surge, Mother was on her feet. Both me and my sister were sent tumbling to the ground. Mother's voice was now tense and full of concern. _"We must leave. Now!"**

** "But Mother! You said that to leave the den before you got your strength back.."**

** "I know what I said! But staying here now would achieve the same result, only faster." **

** _Mother had just started to rise slowly to her feet, when there was the sound of snuffling above us. She froze, and instinctually, we froze along with her, huddled in the small space beneath her legs. The den's walls were all close; there was barely any room between Mother's back and the ceiling while she was crouched like this. Directly ahead and above, the snow was shifting, shaking. Mother's tail lifted and whipped backwards. Cold air whipped across my back, and the shock almost caused me to cry out. Then mother was yelling in my head. _**

**"Go! Out that opening! See if you can find shelter and stay together!" _Mother's jaws opened and an explosion of blue fire nearly blinded me. Both Ryshkaa and I turned and ran through the break in our home. Icy wind blasted my face as we staggered through a passage that seemed to have been formed long ago. The snow was stiff beneath our feet, firm with the freezing of time. Mother must have made this tunnel long ago. Possibly for just this purpose. Behind us Mother's anger exploded in thoughts and sound. And over top of her angry snarling, was a stranger, lilting cry. High pitched and completely unknown to me. I kept running. Ryshkaa was thoroughly distressed and her running path was wild and lumbering, as if she wasn't seeing what was directly in front of her. She almost ran straight into the wall when the passage curved. Finally, before us stretched a gash through which loose snow was flying. Mother had said something like this, that snow actually fell from the sky. But I had never seen a sky before, much less snow falling from it._**

_** We careened through the gash and into a giant mound of cold, fluffy snow. It was most disorienting, and at first I just stood there. Above us was empty space, completely devoid of any kind of ceiling. The black fabric of emptiness was dotted with tiny points of light, too numerous to count. The air moved quickly freezing and full of snow. Far off behind us, I could hear those weird high pitched chirping noises and they made my blood cold. I ran forward, away from that noise. But I stopped, because I realized that Ryshkaa was not beside me. Turning, I saw her standing on top of the hill above the place where we had come out of the tunnel, staring off towards the source of the sounds.**_

**"What are you doing! Mother told us to stay together!" _I kept my mind confined within my own body. Extending the mind had gotten us into this mess. I could feel Ryshkaa's mind spreading out rapidly, especially in the direction of the sounds. _**

**"I can still feel her! I have to help her! It's my fault!"**

** "You can't do anything!" _But she ignored me, and leapt off into the darkness. An enormous, yawning pit of sorrow opened in my gut and as I fell, I heard Ryshkaa scream._**

…

…

…..

….

There was a downward jerk and I was falling. The ground vanished and I landed on Toothless' back. My mind was reeling, and I leaned over and retched over Toothless' shoulder.

"_Are you ok?" _My breathing was labored and ragged, and a sheen of sweat was rapidly freezing on my skin.

_"T- Toothless, I'm so sorry!" _

_ "It's fine Hiccup. I layed the memory to rest long ago."_

_ "B- But, Ryshkaa! Isn't that.."_

_ "I'm fairly certain that it's an extremely unlikely coincidence. She smells nothing like my sister did, and the eye color is slightly different."_

_ "That's some coincidence." _We both fell silent.

_"Hey you two!" _We both started and stared at the female flying beside us. Her demeanor had changed completely, her eyes were twinkling with excitement and the control fins at the base of her tale were flicking rapidly, causing her to shake slightly in flight. I decided to test her new good mood.

_"What's gotten into you?" _She eyed me.

_"Human, if that is you speaking then I suggest you hold on! The heard is in sight!" _And indeed she was correct. Just inside the horizon, the ground was marked by many, many dark smudges. _"Last one with dinner digs the next shelter!" _And she closed her wings, and dived. We were not going to let her think us soft southerners. We closed our wings and were immediately on her tail.

Ryshkaa opened the slits along her sides. The wind howeled and let out that peeling shriek that was signature to the Shade. Before the heard of massive mammals below could even react, she impacted one of the large females, directly at the base of the neck where it joined with the spine. The creature dropped on the spot. As the mammal fell to the ground with a very wet crunch, the entire heard made loud bugling sounds and bolted in a generally northward direction. Toothless and I had to make a quick course correction so that we were traveling in the same direction. We leveled out over the heard at about the same speed. I locked the tailfin in the gliding position and leapt. Landing on the back of another large female. The beast panicked and started running back and forth in an attempt to shake me off. The rest of the heard pulled ahead whilst I tried to subdue my new mount. Failing in my attempts to find the weak point at the base of the spine that Ryshkaa had used, I instead grabbed a handful of shaggy fur on the shoulder and leapt, swinging myself around to cling to the mammals chest. I bit into its throat and tore outwards. Thick, hot, heavy gouts of blood sprayed everywhere. I had severed the windpipe as far as I could tell.

But it took the better part of ten minutes for the beast to collapse. It's blood smearing the snow everywhere it ran. It wasn't the prettiest of sights. As I looked up, Toothless rolled to a stop beside me in a heap.

_"Ok, in the future, I kill dinner, and you can land." _ My laughter was interrupted by the arrival of Ryshkaa, dragging her bloodless kill behind her.

_"Not the cleanest hunt I've ever seen." _I grinned.

_"Well hey, it's our first time on one of these things. At least we got one." _I could feel the female's mental smile.

_"That you did." _Toothless shoved his way between us, shielding me from Ryshkaa's view. He lay there and curled around me and the kill.

_"You need to eat Hiccup. It's too cold here. Drink as much of the blood as you can. It will help." _I smiled at his annoyed expression. His last statement had been public, so I did not hide mine.

_"Of course Love, but I insist you have the first bite." _Toothless tore into the carcass. Ryshkaa dragged her meal around so that she could see us, then settled down and started to dig in. Throughout the meal, I obeyed Toothless' instruction and drank as much of the beast's blood as I could. It was rich and filling, and it sent warmth tingling down through my core. My teeth were not strong enough to cope with the bones, so I left those for Toothless. The muscles of the creature were thick and full. I could taste the vitality flowing out of them and into me as I swallowed. Ryshkaa stayed silent for the most part, and all I saw her do was chew, and stare at us with wide eyes. Those eyes were empty of the anger that had filled them for all the time I'd known her, now all I could see there was an intense curiosity.

Toothless grabbed a bone from the foreleg and swallowed it whole. _"You know Hiccup, you really should eat the bones. They strengthen your own, as well as your teeth."_

_ "Um Toothless? I really think that I would shatter my teeth before I broke one of this thing's bones." _And Toothless gave me a dragon grin.

_"I know, so I've done the chewing for you." _My eyebrow quirked.

_"Is that so?" _Toothless' grin widened.

_"It's a common practice to predigest the bits that hatchlings can't handle, so that they can one day be strong enough to digest them on their own." _Well really how bad could it be? I'd already eaten a fish that he'd regurgitated. Who knew how this would taste?

_"Alright, hit me." _Toothless lifted himself, and reared back onto his haunches. I scooted so that my back was to his stomach. He curled over me.

_"Open your mouth." _I did as he requested. Toothless face descended and his jaw opened. His delicious scent with its fishy overtone washed over me. The same gurgling sound from that day weeks ago emanated from his chest. What dropped from his throat this time was not a fish, but rather, a paste that was rather thick and off-white. It fell very precisely into my mouth, with barely any spill. It had the taste of the Caribou, but I could also detect Toothless' unique flavor. All in all, it was delicious. I swallowed every last drop. Toothless' head lifted away and he regarded me with extreme amusement glinting in his eye.

_"Good?"_

_"It's very.. _Gulp. _..bracing. But I'm pretty sure that bones regurgitated by any other dragon would just taste nasty." _The dragon's eyeridge rose.

_"Are you trying to flatter me?"_

_ "I am merely trying.. _I rose to my feet so that Toothless' face was within a centimeter of mine. _..to state the truth." _I extended my tongue, and ran it along his lower jaw, removing a small drop of bone that had fallen upon it. _"It's extremely tasty." _My tongue continued over his lipless mouth, reaching the other side and descending down his neck, following the large vein that continuously pumped his life to his head. _"Though, I think you are still the tastiest thing I know of." _His body was shaking slightly and his breathing had deepened. I was just placing my hand against one of the sensitive places on his torso, when Toothless suddenly froze and ceased breathing. I froze too, and listened hard. Behind me was the sound of something else breathing, very lightly, as though trying not to be heard.

As I turned slowly, Toothless unfolded his wings and brought them forward at the same pace. By the time I was facing the same direction as Toothless, there was a protective screen of scaled leathery skin between me and the creature. There sat Ryshkaa, with her head on her paws. Her eyes were large, as if she were trying not to miss a single detail.

_"You know, I think you are definitely the strangest human I have ever observed."_

Toothless sunk back down to his stomach, his left wing folding back while the right wing pulled me backwards and down with him. He turned to curl and lie on his side, which left me nestled into the crook between his leg and neck. It was extremely warm and I could barely feel the cold of the snow and ice. I felt a half smile dance across my face.

_"Hiccup, she's starting to sound like you. I assure you Ryshkaa, you won't meet another human quite like Hiccup."_

_ "Care to explain why you are physically intimate with a human of all things?" _A snort emanated from above me.

_"Not a chance. I'm holding you to your agreement. You're explaining who you are, why we're here, and where the hell the nearest place we can procure _clothes _from."_

_ "Could you at least tell me why your human doesn't have clothes?"_

_ "Actually Toothless I was wondering that myself."_

_ "You lost your clothing without even noticing? Isn't that something that humans are very aware of?" _That statement filled my head with an image. I saw Astrid and the other teenagers of Berk, running screaming with no clothes on. I started laughing. Toothless gurgled his amusement at exactly the same time. Ryshkaa's eyes widened slightly in puzzlement.

_"Humans are normally, very, protective of their clothing. I happen to not care in the slightest."_

_ "Hiccup was soaked through and freezing. I had to warm him up. Wet clothing saps heat from the human body. I flamed him, destroying the clothing, evaporating the water, and warming him up in the process. Now if you could please tell us where we are."_

The female considered for a moment, then spoke.

_"I was trying to get home, but with you heavy lugs holding on to me, I didn't have the energy. I barely managed to stop before the expenditure killed me. We've crash-landed in the tundra between the Nordic seas, and my home. I won't be able to tell exactly where we are until this evening. When the stars come out, I'll guide you to the nearest human settlement and we can part ways as pleasantly friendly acquaintances." _I smiled.

_"Sounds wonderful."_

XXX

Astrid

The scouting party hurried back through the door in single file. I was part of the rear guard, watching all directions for attack. It seemed that the dragons were still asleep, or at least they hadn't moved. I was the last in and the crack before me shrunk disappeared with a thud. I turned and was greeted with the sight of Gobber consulting with the leader of the group. We had not managed to find much of use, a few tools and some firewood that had escaped from the dragon's fury, buried under ash.

"Alright, we will discuss this further this evening." Gobber gave me a nod before turning and walking away.

I was just about to go for a drink, when I saw a distinctive hunched figure heading towards me. The wizened, old, hunched figure of the Elder stepped from the shadows and stopped before me, leaning heavily on her staff. She lifted one hand and crooked her finger at me, then turned and proceeded to walk back the way she came. What did the Elder want with me? I followed.

We passed the other children at their table, speaking in hushed voices among themselves. As we passed, they all looked up and stared at me. All except for Tuffnut. He continued to stare emptily into space. I gave them a nod.

At the very back of the hall, we came to a large skin that separated a small area from the rest. The Elder pulled it aside, and pointed to the opening. I stepped passed the skin. There lay Stoic. Most of his mighty form was swathed in bandages, and his lower half was covered in a piece of light fabric. His eyes seemed to be sunken, and all I could see of them was a glimmer that shown out of the deep shadowed sockets. His chest rose as he took a deep breath; the expansion in his breath caused him pain and he winced.

I had never, ever seen Stoic the Vast, wince.

When he spoke, his voice grated and rasped, as though he were older than the Elder. I knew that his throat must have been destroyed by all of the smoke he inhaled.

"Astrid." And he gasped as I watched pain and tension shoot through his body. "Astrid, please. I might not last." Another deep, painful breath. "If I don't live long enough.." Gasp "..you must promise me something."

I placed my right fist over my heart. "Anything sir."

"When you next see… Hiccup, please.. Tell him I'm sorry. And.. Beg him.. On my behalf.. For.. Forgiveness."

My eyes widened. How could Hiccup possibly have this degree of power over people? I nodded. Stoic subsided and his eyes closed. I turned, threw the skin aside, and stormed from the makeshift healers post. As I stomped toward the mead casks, the image of the Terror's face flashed before my eyes. What the hell had I done? I had assisted the enemy. I was a traitor. I was as bad as Hiccup! No, Hiccup had twisted me in this way. This was his fault! It was all his fault! If I ever saw him again, I would deliver Stoic's plea, then I would try to wring his neck.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Unknown

The fields of snow and ice were calm and tranquil under the blazing light of billions of stars. Each individual flake of snow reflected its own set of the stars light and the glimmer was astonishing. Two figures floated above this sparkling sea of white heading in a North Easterly direction. As they passed over the rolling crests and troughs of the drifts below, they did not notice a tiny movement in one of the snow drifts beneath them. For just a second, the top layer of flakes of a particularly lumpy hill, shifted slightly. As the two shapes flew on, a single eye of piercing green opened, brushing the snow from its line of vision as the lid lifted. The eye followed the shapes until they were beyond the horizon. Then the eye closed. Thoughts rang into empty space, shielded from unwanted listeners.

"_Yes that was definitely her. And I definitely don't recognize the male that's with her. His mind was just as closed as hers, maybe even more so. But it felt very strange as they passed over. Like there was something, else there too. Something I couldn't see from down here."_

A different voice this time, older and authoritative. _"Are they continuing on their course? If they're still headed for the Rakar then the next watch post will be Skuru. Are you well hidden Skuru?"_

Yet another voice. _"Ready and waiting. They will not perceive me. Did Alda say why he's interested in this male?"_

"_No, all he told me was that Ryshkaa was traveling back in the company of two strangers, and that it was vital for both of those companions to come back with us to Home Cave."_

"_I only saw the one stranger. Has anyone had a sighting of the other unknown?"_

"_No one has. For now, we assume that it's just the one extra male. Everyone close your circle around Rakar. That's the only place they could possibly be going. If we work very carefully, we'll close a noose around them without any of them the wiser. If they resist, you will repress them Skuru."_

"_Are we expecting Ryshkaa to resist? She will respect a request from Alda, though she'll probably be just as confused as us."_

"_No, she will comply. What else is she going to do? She has deeper ties to Home Cave than any of us."_

The voice of Skuru buzzed with its youthful excitement. _"They just came within range! Yes Ryshkaa is as much a clam as ever, but wow. That male she's with, he's on a whole different level!"_

"_What do you mean by that Skuru? Can you get specific?"_

"_Well, we're all familiar with the mental defenses of your typical Shade. A cold, hard, black, indifferent shell of apathy. But this guy's is nothing like that."_

The first voice spoke out again. _"How? What's different about it?"_

"_His defense is fluid and light. When I press against it, it gives slightly, but the thoughts and emotions that I receive are gibberish. It's almost like he's thinking in a language that's different than ours."_

The authoritative voice broke into Skuru's musings. _"You idiot! We are trying not to be noticed! You're poking at his mind?!"_

"_Calm down Sycle. My touch is feather light and completely unnoticeable."_

"_You'd better hope that it is for your sake, as well as ours. This male is unknown, and the unknown can be dangerous. Everyone on your toes from here on."_

The snow drift, which had not so much as twitched since the eye had closed, began to shudder and tremble.

"_They're far enough away now, I'm taking to the sky. I'll circle down toward Rakar from the east. Skuru, when they're clear of you, circle around and come from the south."_

Sycle spoke. _"And I'll come from the south west. Night protect you both."_

Silence.

XXX

Hiccup

The wind here was wonderful. Chilly, but wonderful. It was so pristine. So completely untouched by the influences of anything beyond the frozen water that stretched for vast leagues in every direction. Hiccup found himself shivering slightly. Chilly. It occurred to him of course that this temperature would probably inflict frost burn and flash freezing to a normal human. Hells, he didn't even know if he was a human or not. Well, at the very least, arctic temperatures were still beyond his ability to withstand, and to remedy that, he required what Toothless would call his 'second skin'.

"_It's as good a term as any." _As Hiccup chuckled as Toothless broadcasted a public thought.

"_Ryshkaa! How much farther?!"_

The response was short and snappy. _"Males! You're all the same!" _And without another word the female spilled air from her wings and entered a lazy dive. The pair of males followed suit. Now that he was actually paying attention, Hiccup could see a very faint glow of orange on the horizon. He slid his legs out from around Toothless' neck, reversed his facing and lay back against the large head.

"_Well wake me when we get there."_

"_I don't think so. You've got a huge amount of spare time on your hands. Get practicing."_

"_Practicing? Practicing what?"_

"_Mental control."_

"_I have plenty of mental control!"_

"_That so?"_

"_Yes!"_

Toothless heaved a sigh. And then Hiccup's mind was violently pulled apart, thoughts scattering in all directions. The chill of the arctic air seemed to deepen and began to seep into his bones. He felt alone. So alone. He hadn't even noticed what his body was doing. The fetal position that he had assumed on Toothless' back was completely involuntary. Just as whiteness started to fall across his vision, a warm radiant point of shadow darkened the blazing white.

"_Hiccup, you can barely even function without me. You need mental discipline. What would happen if another Shade, Ryshkaa even, were to attack us? I am strong, but for all we know there could be any number of Shades stronger than I in either physical, or mental abilities, or even both. You are going to practice. You are going to strengthen your mind. It was always your most prominent strength. Now you're playing with the big kids."_

"_..I…Get the p- point. Get back o- over here before I have a –s seizure or something."_

Warmth and shadow enveloped his mind. Encasing him. Protecting him. Hiccup opened his eyes to the night sky above, aflame with billions of stars.

_"Alright fine. I'll practice. But I don't know how."_

_ "Alright listen closely. You have a pretty good feel of your own mind, if only subconsciously. I want you to close your eyes and imagine yourself in completely empty space. You are floating in blackness. There is nothing below, above, or around you. There is nothing."_

Toothless' words were slow and rhythmic. Hiccup's eyes were closed before he even knew what was happening. It was almost effortless. He found himself floating, completely weightless and surrounded by nothing but empty space. Toothless' next words were soft and paced precisely with the beat of his own heart.

_"You are doing very well. Now, in front of you is an archway."_

Hiccup wasn't sure when or how it came to be there, but in front of him, he saw an outline of a massive archway. It was only an outline. The interior was just as black and featureless as the space around it. There was no base, because there was nothing around it to reference. It just hung there in open space.

_"Go through the archway."_

Hiccup didn't even think about how he could possibly move without something to push off against. It just happened. The only thing he noticed as the archway slowly became larger was a slight ache in his head.

At the exact second that he passed the border of the archway, there was a jerking feeling in his skull, as if something had hit the inside of it. And the same time, light exploded in front of him. Reflexively, he threw his hands up in front of his face to protect his sensitive eyes. But of course, his eyes weren't actually open. When he dropped his hands, a magnificent sight greeted his mind's eye. All around him were clouds. Some whispy, others fluffy, still others that boiled and swirled angrily. They surrounded him on all sides and created a huge enclosed space of soft, textured whiteness. Some clouds rose in columns to support other structures above them and from the ceiling of this great enclosure of space, soft yellow light glowed, bathing everything in a soft golden glow. Almost like a tiny, less powerful sun.

As he took a second closer look at the world around him he noticed moving things that he had to focus on to see. Thin wispy tendrils of black shadow that wove there ways in between the golden tinted clouds like suspended water.

Hiccup turned to look behind him, and saw the archway, huge and gaping, showing nothing but pitch blackness beyond its frame.

_"Welcome to your own mind." _Being completely relaxed and with the illusion that he was alone, these words spoken quite plainly and relatively loudly came as a bit of a shock to Hiccup. He whirled around and watched as the black tendrils he'd seen floating between the clouds rapidly converged on a single point, and then resolved themselves into an image of a Shade that lounged, stretched out on a particularly fluffy cloud.

_"My mind? If this is my mind then where was I before? What's that out there?" _He pointed back towards the archway and the empty blackness beyond.

_ "Ahh, that is where this gets interesting. This is how it was explained to me by my mother. All beings have this space with them," _Toothless gestured with a paw to the airy space and the clouds that defined it. _"it looks different to everyone. This is your mind. Shades, and a few other creatures, are blessed with a 'Gateway' that allows them to exit their own mind-space and interact with others' should they wish." _Here he gestured towards the archway. _"Somehow, I'm only guessing here, as a result of our bond, your mind-space has been torn open, giving you a sort of 'pseudo-Gateway' to the outside."_

And now that Hiccup looked at it more closely, he saw that the outline of the archway was not as clean and precise as he had first thought. The edge was ragged and shaky. It looked as if it something had indeed torn it open.

_"What's even more interesting is that this gateway no longer leads outside."_

_ "It.. It doesn't?" _Hiccup noticed for the first time that he was still floating in the middle of empty space. He glanced at a fluffy cloud on the same level as Toothless' and to his surprise and pleasure, he immediately floated towards it and settled into its soft warmth.

_ "No it doesn't. Do you remember what happened in the killring? When you finally woke up?"_

_ "Our mind mended itself. When you yelled we both remembered that time we first met. And we reoriented around that event."_

_ "Indeed. But what you may not have realized is that when we came back together, it was a very powerful clash of thought. It changed our collective mind. Out through that arch is not the outside. Instead, it is the space in between our two individual personalities, which is all contained within a single, larger collective mind-space."_

_ "Well that a little tough to wrap my head around."_

_ "Of course it is. Because it is already wrapped around your head."_

_ "Wha.. Ha!" _Hiccup felt laughter bubble up in his chest. Toothless laughed along with him, when another question occurred to Hiccup. _"So what would happen if I were to go back outside the archway?"_

As Toothless responded, he gazed out at the big gaping hole in the golden misty landscape. _"Well, your concentration isn't the best. I expect you would be pulled back into the world outside and wake up on my back."_

_ "Wait, if you're in here, who's flying?"_

_ "I multitask rather well. Decades of practice and all that. Oh, and an amendment to my previous statement, if I wasn't helping you stay, you would probably be pulled out through that opening by your lack of concentration anyway."_

_ "You're keeping me here? And you're also keeping yourself here, and yet you're still externally conscious."_

_ "It's actually one of the most rigorous mental exercises I've undertaken in my lifetime. My head is starting to hurt a little."_

_ "Well then maybe you should let me practice on my own. Stop helping me and let's see how I do."_

_ "If you insist I guess. Concentrate on just staying here, in this place."_

With a wild jerk Hiccup felt himself pulled violently away from his comfortable cloud and hurled unceremoniously toward the arch.

_"Toothless are you doing that?!"_

_ "I'm just observing. You're distracted. Concentrate!"_

Hiccup tried to think about nothing but stopping, and for a brief moment, it worked. He came to a sudden halt in midair just a few feet away from the blackness.

_"Very good!" _Unfortunately, the praise upset Hiccup's already tenuous concentration. He fell towards the archway once again. And passed through. Once again he floated in infinite blackness and watched as the archway fell farther and farther away. It was now full of the golden light from the other side. As he watched, a dark shadow flew outwards after him. Toothless came alongside and grinned at him. _"Well, it was a good first attempt."_

_ "Oh shut up."_

_ "We're getting close to the human village now, but before we finish this practice I want to show you something. Grab hold." _

Hiccup gripped Toothless' shoulder with a hand and oriented himself behind his head as if they were really flying. Then he felt himself accelerating. It was a strange feeling. He felt that they were moving fast, but there was nothing to reference. No landmark, not even any wind in his face. They might as well be floating completely still except for the tug in his stomach that told him they were moving very quickly.

_"Look behind us." _Hiccup did so, and gasped.

Behind them floated an enormous outline of a sphere. It was black but from this far away, Hiccup could see a strange shimmery golden sheen that was its surface. And as he watched, he saw something that was even more amazing. A second massive sphere was coming into view beyond the golden one. This sphere's surface was a shimmering sheen of deep violet, almost black.

_"Our two minds suspended together in a shared space." _Toothless' words reverberated in Hiccup's ears.

_"They're so beautiful."_

_ "And you'll get to see more of them later. For now, let's find you some clothes."_

And once again Hiccup felt acceleration. They were moving even faster away from the spheres. In fact, as he glanced back, the enormous orbs seemed small now. About the size of his fist. He saw now from this distance that they were revolving around each other. With a sigh he turned his attention back to the front. Now this looked a little strange. There were little white holes in the blackness. Tiny pricks of light making their way into the blackness.

"_Toothless wha.."_

_ "Exits. Exits out of the collective mind-space. If you weren't with me they'd be pulling you out and away. You would probably lose consciousness if you were sucked out through an exit so small though. We're going to use a big one."_

The tiny little white points were flying past them now, like stars falling from the sky.

_ "What do you mean a big.." _But he could see. The little white points rushing past were starting to get larger. Soon they were fist sized, then they were larger than his head. Then they were larger than his own body.

_"You could fit through one of these, but I need to get out too. We'll use an exit big enough for two!"_

The white balls were flying past faster and faster now. Hiccup felt his heart beat quicken and he thrilled at the sight of the rushing field of white and black. Then, all of a sudden, there was a huge exit in front of them and it swelled to fill all of his vision.

Then he opened his eyes.

His stomach flipped and he turned and heaved caribou over Toothless' side. It wasn't the entire meal, but still a good chunk.

_"THAT I would have liked a little warning of."_

_ "The first time should always be like that. If I had told you it would have made the feeling worse. See? It's already past."_

Hiccup lay on Toothless' back with his chest heaving. And he contemplated how best to make his stomach settle completely when he was interrupted by a feminine mind voice.

_"That was pretty repulsive. If you're done being sick, the village is below us."_

Hiccup looked down. Amidst the dark shimmering snowfields lay nestled a small collection of yellow lights.

_"Wow. It feels like I haven't seen a human village in weeks."_

_ "You were in one just a few days ago Love."_

_ "I know, it just __**feels**__ really distant." _Ryshkaa snorted.

_"Both of you shut up before you make me nauseous too. Human.."_

_ "That's not my name."_

_ "Heavens above FINE THEN! H- Hiccup, we'll wait in the drifts beyond the borders. You get in fast, find some hides and get out with as little attention as possible."_

_ "Sounds easy enough, but you two need to promise to play nice while I'm gone." _Toothless' voice was soothing.

_"I'll make sure nothing happens. Now let's hurry, your starting to shiver harder." _Toothless folded his wings and dropped out of the night sky. Ryshkaa rolled her eyes and followed.

XXX

Unknown

"_They have arrived."_

"_Any more public conversation?"_

"_Yes. And I'm hearing three distinct voices."_

"_So there is a third?"_

"_Yes, but I can't figure out where. I can only see the two. Wait, one of them is called 'Hiccup'."_

"_Hiccup?"_

"_Yes Hiccup. They're here at the village to steal hides."_

"_Hides? What could Shades possibly want with hides?"_

"_No idea. Hold on a minute they're landing."_

Silence.

"_Heavens above."_

"_What is it?"_

Silence.

"_What is it?!"_

"_There's a human."_

Silence.

"_What?"_

"_Exactly what I said. The male is being ridden by a human."_

"_How is that even possible?"_

"_He's wearing some kind of… thing. I don't know what it is. It wraps around his chest and.."_

"_And what?"_

"_He's missing a tailfin."_

"_You just told me that he was flying a second ago!"_

"_There's something that looks like a tailfin stuck to his tail. There's a line that runs between it and the thing that wraps around his chest."_

"…_we are hauling all three of them back to _Home Cave_. Skuru, make sure you remain hidden. Kale, get here as quickly as possible."_

A third, softer, yet unheard voice responded. _"It won't take me long."_

XXX

Toothless

Hiccup was very quick. And when he returned he strode with purpose in his step.

"_Personally I think I got pretty lucky. I'm pretty sure the tent I snuck into was the leader's. I didn't see anyone else wearing things like this. Mostly they were all in big fluffy coats and gloves." _Hiccup's legs were encased in boots and leg coverings of some smooth black material, presumably the skin of some poor creature. It smelled awful, it had probably been preserved. His chest was still bare, but over it was thrown a long cloak of soft white fur. It hung over both of Hiccup's shoulders and was joined across the front with a length of cord, and it swished back and forth just above the ground at about the level of his shins. The back of the skin rose and folded to form a hood. Probably the same skin that had once covered the beasts head, but the strange thing about the garment was its interior. Inside, against Hiccup's body was a finer, softer looking fur of pitch black.

"_They look as though they were crafted by someone with access to more materials than these humans have. Perhaps they are trophies? Or items obtained through trade?"_

Overall it gave Hiccup a much larger appearance, though he was still smaller than the average Viking.

"_Well whatever they are, they look good. And this cloak is extremely warm and soft."_

Ryshkaa showed her interest in the subject by turning and taking a few steps to the north, opening her wings as she did.

"_Hold it, where do you think you're going?" _The female threw a look and a snort over her shoulder.

"_I brought you freaks to the village, now I'm leaving. I've had a somewhat less than ideal few days and I plan to sleep for a week when I get home."_

Toothless could not suppress the quiet snarl that lifted his lip slightly. His voice came out quite, slow and slightly threatening.

"_If you think carefully, you'll remember that you promised us an explanation of how we came to be here, as well as where here is, and where you're going."_

XXX

Hiccup

Silence fell over the trio. Hiccup stopped swishing his new cloak about and watched the two. Ryshkaa stood in a strange pose, with her left foreleg lifted and bent slightly and the head tilted downwards slightly. Toothless had an aggressive stance, tail swishing back and forth while his wings rose slightly from his back. Ryshkaa seemed to be slightly awkward, as if the explanation for their current circumstances was difficult or embarrassing.

"_I…" _As she started to speak, she was interrupted by a piercing whistle from directly above. All three heads snapped upwards and as they did so, Ryshkaa and Toothless fell sideways as large bodies slammed into them. A third mass from above knocked Hiccup to the ground and the shrieking whistle was abruptly cut off. When Hiccup's head finally stopped spinning, he took in the situation with a sweep of his eyes. Three new Shades had joined them, one of which was pinning him to the ground. Another, with a strange blue stripe across his face at eye level, was standing next to Toothless with one of his wing joints in its mouth. The third was standing between Ryshkaa and the rest of the group, not hassling her in any way, rather shielding her from the situation.

_"Seems to me that the company you keep just keeps getting stranger and stranger Rysh." _This voice was one that Hiccup had never heard before. It was masculine, but somewhat high in pitch. It had almost a musical quality, or rather, that was the best description Hiccup could think of. _"The human is an especially nice touch. Thinking of some freaky experiments?" _Here, a

Ryshkaa let out a snarl.

_"Skuru, you silence your wretched mind before I do it for you! I see your wing is nice and healed up. Want to test it?" _A third, much gruffer and rasping mind voice joined the new conflict.

_"Both of you shut up. We're heading back." _At that thought, Hiccup saw Ryshkaa's eyes widen and her previously angry posture relaxed in shock.

_"You're not thinking of taking the rogue back to _Home Cave _are you?"_

_ "And where else would we be taking them? These are orders from the three with the recommendation of Alda."_

Toothless shifted and twitched slightly. Hiccup could feel the horrible discomfort of have his wing suspended in the horribly vulnerable space between the jaws of another creature. He knew however that any kind of move would result in a swift crippling bite from the strange male. The Shade that held Hiccup pinned on the other hand, was doing nothing more but staring curiously down with a questioning look on his face. Hiccup decided to speak up.

_"What's the matter? Never seen a human before?" _The male above him directed his gaze toward Toothless as well as his voice.

_"Of course I've seen humans before. But I've never seen one so strange as this." _Here the Shade looked back down at Hiccup. _"Look at him! He stares up at me without a trace of fear! He isn't even trembling! Most humans are reduced to tears if you pin them. Do you have this one trained stranger?"_

Toothless was about to respond when Ryshkaa's voice interrupted him.

_"I would suggest you two keep quiet about Hiccup's little talent. My friend in the place we are going will be much less wary of an intelligent human than these males will. How about you suggest that he's a pet?"_

When the three strangers did not respond in any way, Hiccup deduced that Ryshkaa's words had been spoken privately between them, and herself.

_I should really learn to recognize that. And do it._

Toothless now answered the young Shade's question.

_"Yes. He is a.. pet. I found him in his infancy and developed a fondness for him." _As the young continued to stare down at Hiccup, the gruff voice of Toothless' assailant spoke out.

_"Why did your voice just change?" _Toothless lifted an eyeridge.

_"What?" _Ryshkaa spoke again.

_"He sometimes likes to pretend that the human is speaking. It get's thoroughly annoying." _

The younger voice came again.

_ "Been traveling together long then?"_

_ "Since this morning actually." _

_ "Well now you've got my gentle personality to sooth your irritations."_

_ "Keep talking Skuru. If I get any more mad I might just know Kale out of the way and tie your tongue in a knot."_

_ "Well that's not very nice._

The gruff voiced shade interrupted the exchange.

_"We are returning to _Home Cave _and you rogue, as well as your pet human are going with us. When we take off, you will follow me or risk retaliatory harm inflicted upon yourself and/or the human from one of us three. Clear?"_

Toothless' voice sounded tired and miffed.

"_Completely."_

_ "Excellent! Everyone in the air!"_

_**AN\\**_

Alright. There is nothing I can say to make up for this. Yes I'm alive and I'm trying to get my writing juices flowing properly again. You probably noticed but I'm trying out third person again. Drop a comment and tell me what you think! Oh and you noticed that I'm trying this out with the AN at the end of the chapter instead. Let's you guys get right down to business. So once again I'm back and I'm gonna try to power on and get this here story done. Constructive criticism always appreciated!


	25. Chapter 25

Ok, I know I'm a week late, and I'm sorry! But hey, at least that week wasn't months. I think that this chapter should be one of the best so far. My good friend LEPShot had agreed to become my partner in crime… er.. Beta reader. With his help this chapter got kicked up to the next level (Qualitywise). SO SHUT UP AND READ. Oh, and don't forget to tell us what you think. (That means write review.)

Chapter 25

Astrid

Astrid uncrossed her legs. Then she recrossed them, watching the motes of dust that were thrown up by the movement dance in the flickering light of the torches. The kegs on which she sat were blanketed in a very heavy layer of the stuff. Apparently no one ever bothered to come up here. She wondered just how old these barrels might be. Before her was spread the entirety of the hall, as well as all of those that had survived these past few days. It was not a pretty sight.

This had once been a mighty, resilient people. A village of warriors unmatched by whatever man or beast dared stand against them. Now what were they? A tiny band of about eighty, cowering in the shadows of a cave, waiting to either starve, or die by the enemies hands. Powerless. It seemed that no one had any sense of purpose anymore. None of them were thinking beyond whether or not they would survive. What had happened? There had never been a time when the entire village had not been sure in its course. Well.. Maybe Hiccup, but he wasn't even a true Viking. Where had their sense of direction gone?

Astrid found her gaze drifting over to the stand of skin walls that surrounded the small medical camp that the Elder had established for herself. Stoic. That was the missing piece. The village took example from the Chief. If his course was unknown, then the village was lost. Without a leader, there was no purpose. And without purpose, everything became stationary. This would not do. Someone needed to step up and give the sheep something to follow.

Astrid's gaze shifted downwards, towards one of the tables nearest her lofty vantage point. The teens still sat at their table, conversing in hushed whispers and sipping at their drinks. Or rather, Fishlegs and Ruffnut conversed. Tuffnut still sat rigidly, staring off into space like a completely inanimate stave of wood. He hadn't gone near his drink either, as it was still full to the brim. Perhaps she could snap him out of his depression, and bring the rest of the village along with him.

With one fluid motion Astrid was on her feet. With one step, and a gesture, she was falling through the air. Tuffnut jerked and his eyes finally focused on something other than memory. Centimeters away from his left hand, which rested on the table, a knife stood quivering, embedded in the wood. Astrid's feet hit the stone floor with a muted thud, and she was striding towards the table. Tuffnut was still staring at the knife when Astrid's fist connected with his face with a dull crunching noise. At that moment, Tuffnut's battlefield training and reflexes woke slightly. He let his body go limp, rolling backward with the punch, and throwing his hands out. His hands hit the floor and with a swing of his legs he was on his feet, fists up and guarding.

"Pathetic." Astrid spat, advancing on the young Viking. "The Tuffnut I know would have at least taken the knife before he flipped. Better yet, he would have been paying enough attention to recognize me as the threat, rather than a stationary blade. What exactly do you have to say for yourself?"

Tuffnut was backing away hastily.

"Well sorry if I'm a little shaken up," His tone was low and angry, a cornered wolf's snarl. "But quite a few people that I've known for my entire life died the other day. One was a best friend. Murdered by his own ax. I think you can spare me some time to figure things out."

Astrid laughed, loud and cold.

"Dead friends? We're Vikings! Any one of us could fall in battle at any time! What makes it so special that Snotlout died? His parents are over there, helping to inventory supplies! What useful thing does your sitting like a log accomplish?"

With deadly speed Astrid's hand whipped out, suddenly holding another knife. Tuffnut barely had time to duck, and a strand of his long hair fell to the ground. He almost lost his balance, but managed to stand and continue his retreat, knocking chairs and benches out of his way as he went.

"I'm sorry! But what are we even supposed to do?! We're trapped in here, because the dragons are out there waiting for us to come out!"

Astrid snarled and jabbed twice, once at middle height and once high. Tuffnut jumped backwards to avoid the first, but a table stopped his retreat and as he jerked to the side, the second jab left a thin line of red across his cheek. Hands scrabbling behind him, Tuffnut managed to grab hold of a shield. With a tug, he brought it around to his front and shoved his arm through the strap. Astrid's next slash was stopped by the shield, and Tuffnut threw all of his weight forward, body slamming Astrid, using the shield as a buffer. With a bounce of her feet, Astrid fell back with the force of the attack and landed in a ready position, knife up. For just a moment, neither moved. Then Astrid dropped her stance and let the knife fall to her side.

"That's what you can do."

"W- What?" Tuffnut's eyes were wide with confusion. The entire hall was dead silent. Now that Astrid wasn't so intent on her target, she noticed that every single person had frozen. Ruffnut stood behind her, presumably ready to jump in if things went too far. All eyes were fixed on her. Good.

"You can fight back. That's what we do. That's what_ Vikings_do. I understand that you are angry and depressed about Snotlout's death. But that can be used as an asset. Channel your anger. Not at Hiccup, he is beyond your reach. A waste of your energy. No, channel all of your frustration into defeating this latest menace. That is the only way we will survive." With that Astrid turned her back, and let her knife drop into her belt while she strode toward the casks.

All that was left of Berk watched her go.

XXX

Hiccup

Flying had always been a joy. From the first moment Toothless had consented to lift him into the air to share in flight's happiness, Hiccup had loved the sky. Freedom, euphoria, and peace could all be found here. And all of those feelings were the reason for Hiccup's current state of mind. He was decidedly uncomfortable.

Above and behind them, flew the gravel voiced Shade with the blue stripe across his eyes. To their left, the smaller tenor voiced Shade was shifting from side to side, and up and down in lazy arcs. On their right flew the larger, silent Shade that had said nothing during their encounter, in a straight and steady line. Ryshkaa was leading the way.

This was not true flight. This felt like sitting in a box suspended thousands of feet over sharp rocks. There was no freedom. Hiccup locked the tailfin in glide position and took his foot out of the stirrup. Flipping around and resting his head on the back of Toothless', he stretched out across the dragon's back and tried to relax, closing his eyes. He hoped that he wouldn't accidentally project any of the thoughts he was about to think.

_Darkness. I am floating in darkness. Nothing more. Black, empty, infinite, darkness. _A dull throb began pulsing in his forehead. The pain of his heartbeat was comforting in its familiarity. He silenced the thoughts he'd been trying to use, and instead started to think of nothing more than the burning. Pain. Silence. Pain. Silence. His heartbeat resounded through his body. Slowly, true darkness blossomed behind his eyelids. And he found himself passing through the archway.

The burning was his anchor. If he thought of nothing more than that, then the archway wouldn't pull him back. Golden clouds swirled around him, accompanied by the wispy tendrils of shadow that ran freely between them. High above him, the golden light source glowed down on the peace of the cloudscape that surrounded him. Perhaps this was what meditation was? Spending time within one's own mind space and contemplating the true nature of oneself?

Hiccup decided to investigate the upper levels. He willed himself to float upwards. Slowly, he began to rise. Some of the clouds closer to him started to rise with him. He saw a few clouds that floated up near the light source start to sink. At the exact same time, the pull of the archway was suddenly tugging on him. Hiccup ceased his attempt at ascending. The clouds around him stopped with him, and the clouds near the top stopped their falling, and reset themselves at their previous height.

Hiccup tried again. Willing himself upwards, he began to rise. Once again, the clouds above him started to fall, and the pull of the archway became tangible. He grunted in frustration and stopped again.

_"Need some help?"_

Hiccup let out a long heartfelt sigh. Out of the corner of his vision he saw the wisp of darkness condensing down into the shape of Toothless, sitting on a cloud with his head tilted to one side.

_"The idea was to master my mind before you noticed and amaze you later." _Toothless chuckled.

_"As cute as that is, I noticed the moment you left. That annoying bouncy one was very interested in a human so comfortable with flight that he could just 'fall asleep' in mid-air."_

_"Are you going to dislike every new Shade we meet?"_

_"No. Just the ones that are interested in you."_

_"Hey now! You're not gonna tell me who I can and can't talk to!"_

_"No.. I'll just make sure that they know who you belong to." _A shiver passed through Hiccup's body at those words. Quickly he changed the subject.

_"So are you going to help me with this or not?" _He could swear that he felt a smirk radiating from his mate.

_"Well, I did keep you in place when you lost all focus and started talking to me. That counts, doesn't it?"_

_"Shut up and teach me."_

Toothless chuckled again, then half unfurled his wings and leapt straight upwards. Hiccup found himself rocketing upwards alongside him. Clouds shifted out of their way as they flew upwards, completely untouched by downward pulls of any kind. Toothless settled on a cloud, stretching out on his side. Hiccup landed with a small "oof" against his scaly side. The golden light source was directly before them, and slightly above. Hiccup could feel warmth washing over him in waves, and it only took him a moment to realize that each wave came exactly in time with the burning thud of his heartbeat.

_"Tell me Hiccup, where are we?"_

_"…My mind-space?"_

"_Precisely, so what do you suppose these clouds we're sitting on are?"_

_"Umm…"_

_"Oh come on Hiccup, what floats around in anyone's mind?"_

_"Thoughts?"_

_"Precisely! So, these clouds are thoughts. All the things that you are thinking about at this very moment are represented here. Memories are here as well. Now, if these are thoughts, what do you suppose that big glowing thing in front of us is?"_

Hiccup thought carefully this time. The clouds were thoughts. When Hiccup had been focused on rising to the light source, the clouds already floating near it had fallen farther away. It was also pulsing in time with his heartbeat.

_"Is that… me?"_

_"Very good! That's exactly what it is. That is your conscious mind. The more you think about any given thing, the closer it moves to that light. Did you notice that all of the thoughts are rotating around it?"_

Hiccup leaned out over the side of the cloud. Sure enough, all of the clouds below were moving in a circular fashion, like a large, slow motion hurricane.

_"Does knowing the exact structure help me control it in any way?"_

_"It will help you learn. All you need to do is figure out which of these clouds represents the thoughts that maintain your presence here, and keep it up here at the top. It's a much easier concept to grasp, and it's easier to maintain when you're thinking of other things."_

Toothless' tail gave a flick.

_"But for now, I think you should wake up. There's something interesting going on outside. Grab hold."_

This time, Toothless did not slow down or let up to allow Hiccup a view. He accelerated hard and fast for the outer reaches of their mind. Almost before Hiccup could comprehend what was happening, he was being swallowed by the white light of an exit. With a gasp and a partial heave, his eyes snapped open and sat dead upright on Toothless' back, almost upsetting his own balance.

After a few seconds of heavy breathing, Hiccup started to pay attention to the mental voices that were flying in every direction.

_"…I don't have the energy to get back! I'm running on almost nothing as it is! When I do get back I'll be sleeping for a week!"_

_"I don't care if you're tired, we need to get word back to _Home Cave _before we arrive! Think of what The Three would say if we came bursting in unannounced with a mad rogue and his pet human in tow?!"_

_"Look Sycle, I'm not drawing a rune that will kill me. It's as simple as that."_

A younger, chirpy voice sounded from the Shade Hiccup knew to be called Skuru.

_"Why don't you just draw it on me then Rysh?"_

Ryshkaa snorted.

_"Shut up Skuru. You're being even more stupid than usual."_

_"No, seriously! Why not? I've seen Alda draw things on you and other Shades. Just give me some freaky speed and I'll deliver the message."_

_"I can't in good conscience draw a rune on you Skuru. You have no control over your Heart's Fire. You wouldn't be able to release it in time. Hells, you might not even see death coming."_

_"Ooooo, look who's so smart! You've been gone for a while Rysh, and I've been grounded for a good chunk of that time."_

_"Yeah.. So?"_

Skuru did a couple of roles and shrieked with glee.

_"So Alda's been giving me personal instruction while you were gone! Sure, I can't draw my own runes yet, but I'm competent with basic control!"_

At this point, Hiccup felt it was time to voice his question.

_"Um, Toothless?"_

_"Yes Hiccup?"_

_"Why aren't they speaking privately? I can't understand what all of this is supposed to mean, but it sounds kind of important. Wouldn't they be discussing this privately?"_

_"They are Hiccup. For some reason Ryshkaa is letting us hear."_

_"She didn't give you a reason or anything?"_

_"She did say one thing. 'Shut up, and you might learn something.'"_

_"She is so very kind."_

Ryshkaa had been flying and stewing over whatever it was Skuru had given her to consider, finally she roared into the night and grumbled,

_"I swear the universe conspires to annoy me. Get over here you lump of useless scale." _Skuru gave a few hard flaps and left his place on Toothless' left side, pulling up alongside Ryshkaa. The gruff and graveled voice of Sycle spoke.

_"Skuru, you are to inform The Three that we are bringing the rogue and… I'm not sure how you're going to explain the human."_

_"I'll figure something out! I always do!"_

_"Anyway, make sure you inform Alda as well. Oh, and see if you can light a fire in our hollow before we get there too."_

_"Would you like me to fetch dinner as well, your eminence?" _Skuru's tone was laced with sarcasm. Ryshkaa chuckled once, then said,

_"Shut up and catch me."_

What followed, was the strangest thing that Hiccup had ever seen. Ryshkaa rolled in midair, baring her stomach to the sky and shedding a small amount of altitude. Skuru, made a rapid rudder movement with his tale, and shifted over into the space that Ryshkaa had just vacated. The young shade dropped his legs, and wrapped them around the female, resulting in a strange midair embrace. Skuru grunted as Ryshkaa folded her wings, allowing him to take all of her weight.

_"If you activate the rune while you're still holding me, I swear I'll bite your tail off."_

_"Just hurry up."_

Pale blue light flared in the space between the two Shades. Hiccup could just make out one of Ryshkaa's claws tracing across the scales of Skuru's chest. For a moment, Hiccup had no idea what was going on. Then a memory flashed through his head: Toothless, lying prone and unseeing, while a Shade drew a strange blue symbol on his head using only her claw. Ryshkaa had helped them escape from the Hive! Now what was she doing?

Ryshkaa's voice rang out. _"It's done! Release me!"_

Skuru dropped his hold. As Ryshkaa fell away and rolled right side up again, Skuru yelled, _"See you all in a few hours!"_

Blue light glowed once again beneath Skuru. For just one moment, it looked like his body was stretching. Elongating. Then the light flared and his body snapped forward, blurring with speed and disappearing entirely. A few seconds afterwards, an explosion sounded in the distance.

_"Toothless.."_

_"Hiccup?" _The response was nothing more than whisper.

_"If it's the last thing I do, I will find out how they did that. And I will learn to do it myself."_

Toothless was barely able to suppress his chuckle, remaining stoically silent, but Hiccup's mind resounded with his laughter.

XXX

Astrid

Gobber stood speaking to the entire village, outlining the condition of the food supply and other such matters. The harvest had been a good one this year, and a portion of it was stored in a small storage cave off of the hall. The rest was in other caves along the ridge, inaccessible from here. Astrid was not watching Gobber. She was staring at the doors. The dragons had not made another attempt at forcing their way through, and the two villagers posted on either side were looking sleepy as they were soon to be relieved.

Astrid checked her weapons. Two small knives, one at each hip, and a dagger thrust through her belt at her back. None of the axes in the hall quite suited her. Some weren't balanced properly, others were the wrong size. She could never wield a weapon that was not matched with her exactly, so in the place of her ax, a shortsword was strapped to her back overtop her shield. In just a few quick flexings of her legs, she was standing and stepping lightly towards the doors. Everyone's attention was focused on Gobber, and the watchmen's heads had fallen sideways onto their shoulders. They must be truly exhausted to sleep standing up. It was a simple matter to lift the bar and silently swing one door just far enough out for her to gain passage. Deftly, she pulled the dagger from her belt and placed its edge against the locking bar above her head. As she pushed the door closed behind her, she slowly lowered her dagger until it was squeezed between the two doors. The locking bar fell back into place on the other side.

A cool autumn breeze wafted its way over Astrid's exposed neck. She whipped around and placed her back to the door, switching her shield to her arm and holding her dagger at the ready. Moonlight bathed the charred ruins of Berk in silver light, giving the scene before her a very surreal look. The breeze created waves in the grass that was not charred, and billions of stars twinkled in the night sky. From this point, she could see clear to the ocean, where the heavens joined with the earth. The sky's light was reflected in the ocean. It was one of the most beautiful sights Astrid had ever witnessed.

Then she shook her head, ridding it of such thoughts and looked again. Shadows were cast by rocks and the burned out husks of houses. Any crack or crevice that was shielded from her sight could hide enemies. The trees whispered with the voice of the wind, and that could conceal the rustle of scales.

_A bit paranoid aren't we?_

Astrid froze where she stood, head slowly panning, searching for the source of the voice.

_What's wrong? Did you forget my existence already? Jeez, I thought you hated me._

This was impossible. Hiccup could not be here. He left. He shouldn't have come back. Where was he?!

"S- Show yourself." Her voice was a whisper, barely more than a breath. Hiccup might have nothing to fear from dragons, but she certainly did.

_Don't be stupid Astrid. I'm not actually talking aloud. And you needn't whisper anyway. The wind is blowing directly into the trees. If any of my kind were in there, they'd have already come to eat you._

"Your kind? So you **have **forsworn your own race?"

_Please. I left you and those like you behind when you betrayed me._

"I thought you were the traitor here."

_I wasn't the one who stuck an ax in a fellow human._

"You jumped into the way!"

_You didn't even give me a chance to explain._

"It was a dragon! I thought I was saving your life!"

_But my face was so happy!_

"What did you expect me to think!?"

_Tell you what. How about we stop arguing about the past, and get under cover. Just because there aren't any dragons out there now, doesn't mean none will come around._

Astrid swore quietly and moved off in a crouch, moving from one piece of cover to the next.

_Just out of curiosity, what exactly are you doing?_

The Viking female crouched down behind what used to be a water barrel and took a deep breath, then hissed,

"I am trying to assess the situation out here. Those sacks of bone in there would not have allowed such an expedition. So I ignored them, and took things into my own hands. One small, fast moving target is far less noticeable than a large group of hairy Vikings that smell like they're living in a cave. Furthermore, you are a voice in my head so I shouldn't even be talking to you. Now shut up so I can take a look at the docks."

_Well I see your social skills have improved about as much as your temper._

Astrid choked back the response she was about to shout, and instead ran for her next piece of cover.

In only a few uneventful minutes, she had traversed the entirety of what used to be Berk. The cliff stood where it always had been, but the wooden walkway that should lead downwards to the docks was gone. Astrid leaned against the base of a shattered beacon tower and peered over the edge. Far below, the moonlight illuminated the clouds of ocean spray thrown up by jagged rock. There was absolutely no evidence of the docks, or even the walkways that had once supplied access to the docks were gone. It was like they had never even been there.

"Wonderful. Now we can't even leave the island."

_Did you know you think out loud?_

"Did you know that I hate you even more now than I did before?"

Behind her, there was the sound of scraping gravel and the thud of a heavy footfall.

_Would you hate me less if I warned you about the Nightmare that's sneaking up behind you?_

Astrid turned her entire body, pulling the dagger from her belt as she did, and beheld a massive pair of jaws rushing toward her. Thought was not even a part of her action. Her body automatically stepped sideways, and she felt the wind of the massive reptilian head passing by against her face. As the jaws snapped together, Astrid drove the dagger downwards into the base of the beast's skull. Without a sound, it dropped to the ground, and slid over the side of the cliff.

_Well that was exciting._

Astrid's breath came hard and fast as adrenaline pounded through her veins. "Well, for someone who just claimed dragons as his own kind, you don't sound very upset."

_That dragon actually was trying to kill you. You were quite within your rights to defend yourself. Mindless killing is what I object to._

Astrid turned away from the cliffs and started back into the ruins. This was bad. No docks, no boats, and more dragons were probably nearby. On top of all that, she was hallucinating a horribly realistic impression of the voice of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Some charred debris to her left shifted. Unbidden, her knife leapt into her hand and she swung out savagely.

_Stop!_

That one word, spoken by Hiccup's disembodied voice, contained enough cold anger and rage to freeze Astrid in place. Allowing her eyes to drift down the length of her blade, she beheld a very small Terrible Terror, with a large knife scar down its chest from tiny left shoulder to miniscule right foreleg. It stood on the window ledge of what used to be a house, but was now only a single fragment of wall left standing by itself. Because the window ledge was just below shoulder height, Astrid found herself staring directly into the reptile's eyes, as if they were the same height. The small dragon was hunched and it leaned far away from her, quivering like leaf in the autumn breeze.

_You would save a life one day, only to strike it down the next?_

The strange hallucination spoke callously, and bitterly. Astrid's voice was no more than a choked whisper.

"It.. It startled me." Slowly, she lowered the knife that was leveled at the dragon's face. Immediately, it stopped shaking and stood straighter, pushing itself forward slightly to sample the air before it with its tongue and nose. Astrid kept her eyes on it, knife still in hand. If it sprang, she'd be ready. But she could feel her fingers twitching, her heart pounding. Hiccup's voice had thrown her off balance completely. When it had said 'stop' it's voice had been so angry, so full of contempt, that it had scared her. Badly. Enough to stop her from killing what she perceived as an obvious threat.

The Terror stepped slowly to the edge of the window sill, then tipped itself forward very slowly. When it over balanced, it simply proceeded to walk down the section of wall beneath, gripping the vertical surface with dexterous claws. All of it's movement's were slow and very obvious.

_You scared the poor thing. He's going out of his way to be sure you know he's not a threat._

"I seem to do that a lot when I'm near dragons apparently." The sarcasm leapt to her very easily, letting her cloak her unease and discomfort in a façade of nonchalance. When the Terror reached the ground, it sat back on its haunches and stared up at Astrid.

"What does it want?"

_Its hungry, cold, and lonely. What do you usually want when you're hungry, cold and lonely?_

"Are you telling me that I'm supposed to comfort this thing?"

_I'm telling you that if you want my respect, then you should show a little of what you call humanity._

"And exactly why would I care about your respect?"

_Because, I'm a figment of your imagination, and if we don't have mutual respect for each other, then I can make your life VERY difficult. As in, more difficult than it already is._

"Oh come on, what could you possibly do? Unless you're actually here somewhere.."  
>Her face grew concerned and she glanced to either side and behind her.<p>

_Oh no, I was being quite honest. I'm just a voice in your head. But voices can be horribly, terribly aggravating. Listen to THIS! _

For a moment, nothing changed. The creature on the sill just sat there and stared. Its eyes were enormous. That made it look very strange. All the dragons Astrid had ever seen had had their eyes squinted with anger, and fangs bared. This dragon just sat and stared, completely silent. Its eyes were large and dark, and Astrid found herself gazing at them. After a moment she snapped her gaze away, cursing under her breath.

"Listen to what?" But she could already hear something. A buzzing drone, like the sound that all the veterans described whenever they were hunting for the nest. It slowly became louder, and it started to obscure Astrid's hearing. At first, it wasn't so bad. She was about to open her mouth to scoff at the annoying sound, but instead, her knees buckled and her hands clamped over her ears. The sound was piercingly high, and at the same time, terribly powerful. It was like a Thunderdrum was screaming directly into her ears.

_Oo, a Thunderdrum. Nice comparison. It's pretty similar in tone, but a Thunderdrum cannot produce the high pitches that are overlaying the humming. It's pretty unpleasant all the same, don't you think?_

Hiccup's voice was somehow distinguishable from the roaring noise, despite the fact that she could not hear anything else. Her body was slowly crumbling in on itself, slumping down towards the earth, trying to escape the horrible noise that seemed to be shaking her very sanity. By the time she had reached a fetal position on the ground tears were running out of her eyes.

_Come now, it's just a little imagination. Can't you handle a little internal noise?_

Astrid tried to speak, but the tears streaming from her eyes were also constricting her throat. She only managed to gasp as her body jerked and twitched.

Astrid was about to try to scream when a point of warmth blossomed on her face. At the exact same time, the horrible sound cut off completely, and she was left in deafening silence. It was only then that she realized her eyes were closed. When she opened them, her vision was blurred and distorted by the tears that she was completely unaccustomed to. After a couple of blinks, she managed to see past the end of her nose.

Above her stood the Terror, one paw extended, resting against her face. The dragon made a strange thrumming sound low in its throat that Astrid had never heard a dragon make before. Slowly, her tears stopped flowing and she was able to clear her vision entirely. Her breathing, which had only moments before been a raspy gasp, slowed, steadily returning to normal.

_This is why I looked down on you, Astrid. Sometimes all it takes is a touch. Just a physical reminder to someone that they're not alone. That's all one needs do to comfort someone. This tiny wounded dragon is ready to offer you comfort in a time of distress. Why in hell, would you not return the favor. Now either you become a true person, or we need discuss no more._

A low hum sounded at the edges of Astrid's hearing.

"Alright, fine! Damn it all!" Her yell startled the Terror and it jumped back slightly. Astrid coiled her body and extended it upwards powerfully, throwing her legs into the air and following them with her torso, head, and arms. She landed on her feet and turned to the Terror that was now once again quivering in fear on the ground.

"Alright, listen here you little winged lizard. I'm only doing this to appease the voice in my head, gods I'm insane, so if you want to get warm and maybe even a bite to eat then come with me, and I'll try to find a place to sleep where I won't be torn to shreds by your big friends. Wait! Gods this thing could lead them right to me!"

_He won't. Now move your ass._

Astrid was about to take extreme issue with this order, but shut her mouth as the buzzing sounded again. She set off to find shelter in the ruins, with a small Terrible Terror slinking at her heels.

XXX

Skuru

As Skuru let his Heart's Fire flow into the rune on his chest, the traveling ring appeared before him. Alda had only allowed him to practice this on one round trip, but it shouldn't be too difficult. He felt the rune on his chest flair and he centered a picture of Home Cave in his mind. Slowly, but surely, the space within the ring distorted, and the image of a snowcapped mountain locked within ice, with the ocean crashing at its base slowly took shape within it. Skuru was only barely able to solidify the image before he passed through. Temperature disappeared. Wind, and in fact all the air around him, disappeared. He hung in darkness. Nothing around him but the image of the mountain floating far away.

_If I recall correctly, this is where it get's nasty._

There was a pull in his stomach, and he felt his speed increasing, far beyond any amount of velocity he had experienced in the steepest nosedive. It was no longer measurable by his senses. All he knew was that he was traveling at thousands of wingbeats per second. The churning sensation in his stomach was horrible, but he had to put that aside for now. He needed to focus. Concentrate. When the mountain was close enough, he had to nullify the rune and drop down to normal speed. He glanced down at his chest, and his eyes widened. The rune that glowed there was not the rune of speed. Skuru had never seen anything like it before. It was two runes, one that was lit with blue light, the other still a dark navy upon his scales. Both runes were surrounded by a circle, and the circles touched each other at one single point, while at the same time they were surrounded by a single larger circle.

Skuru had seen the unactivated rune before. It was the nullifying rune that he's been preparing to draw. But the one that was currently activated was completely unknown to him.

_Ryshkaa, what did you throw me into?! I don't know what this thing __**is, **__much less how to nullify it. It already has a nullifying rune! Alda said that placing an identical rune atop another was pointless! How do I stop?!_

The image of the mountain was getting closer, slowly becoming clearer. Skuru was starting to panic. If he missed the window, he'd end up Spirits knew how many wingbeats away on the other side. He whipped his head downwards, looking frantically at the diagram on his chest. At that exact moment, the unactivated nullifying rune blazed brightly, though it's light was sputtering and weak. Skuru fed a small amount of his Heart's Fire into the rune, and it's light grew stronger, blazing brightly in the blank darkness. The circles lit next, first the inner two, then the larger outer one. For one moment, the entire diagram blazed brightly, then slowly began to fade, until it disappeared completely. For just a second, Skuru had no idea what had happened.

Then reality smacked him in the face. Frozen air pelted his face hard, bringing with it sound, light, smells, and the taste of moisture in his throat. With a screech, he angled his wings and corkscrewed, driving a wedge straight through the air. When his body finally slowed enough to stop spinning, though he was still a little disoriented, a beautiful sight met his eyes.

The ocean crashed against the base of a massive glacier. Far above, a single snow-capped mountain peak rose into the night sky, where its craggy summit was framed in the glow of a bright aurora. Home.


	26. Chapter 26

I know that most of you probably won't see this update until after the holidays, but hey, Merry Whatever-Doesn't-Offend-You to all! Anyway, many special thanks to LEPShot for his invaluable assistance in the ways of editing and brainstorming. Seriously, this guy has kicked my awesome up to epic. You rock bro. So show your appreciation for that awesome dude, and maybe me as well, with a review, and we'll see you in 2013!

Chapter 26

The barren wastes of the far north harbor the most inhospitable conditions in the world. The only things that can live there are either aquatic, or predators adapted for hunting aquatic creatures. The polar bears are one of the top predators, hunting seals and the occasional fish when possible. But there are smarter and altogether more dangerous predators that can even prey on them.

The Astral Wolves are feared throughout the arctic by creatures of all intelligences. Their snow white coats are impossible to pick out amongst the snow drifts. The eyes are the only things that are distinguishable, and by the time you catch sight of them, it is usually too late. They keep to themselves and only interact with other species in the act of predation. This lack of interaction generates an alluring air of mystery for those of higher intelligence. The only species to rival the Wolves as predators of course, are the Shades.

There is nothing known in the arctic that preys on adult Shades. They are the reptile overlords of the Arctic ecosystem. They eat anything and everything that lives, be it bear, fish, or even an occasional small whale. The strange fire that burns within them keeps them warm in all conditions and their insulated bodies can both retain and emit heat depending on the local climate. The Shades are also credited with the highest intelligence in the Arctic. Some argue that the Wolves could rival, or even surpass the Shade in this, but as no one has ever spent time with the Wolves, no one knows for sure.

While a fully developed Shade has no enemies, they are soft and vulnerable in the first few months after they hatch. A hatchling shade could be eaten by any predator, in the event that a nest is discovered. Most of the time though a mother will have a second nest site in mind for emergencies like these. Father Shades play no great role in their offsprings lives. Usually an expecting mother will banish her partner from her company during a birthing season. Thus, if a nest is discovered, the mother must transfer quickly, or she could potentially lose an egg to the massive onrush of scavengers that follows.

Heartbeat of the Arctic

Ryshkaa

XXX

The snow had settled after the blizzard, forming new drifts and eliminating all trace of movement across the snow. The ocean crashed and roared against the base of the Great Ice Shelf that served as a border for what humans of the area considered the 'High North'. In the distance, a single mountain peak rose above the drifts like a looming sentinel of the ice. It stood at the very edge of the shelf, and thus the mountain itself had to be massive, to match the height of the ice, and then surpass it on its journey into the sky.

On the side of a large snow bank, a small dark shape was ripping and tearing at the carcass of a polar bear cub. Its long, lithe body was not much larger than the cub's, but its black color and pair of skinny wings served to ensure that no living thing mistook this creature for a polar bear. The creature was young. Only about a year's worth of growth did it have beneath its scales, and as such it was hungry.

The little Shade had not actually hunted and killed the cub. On the contrary, it had been a lucky stumble that allowed it to find the half buried carcass. The wind had been blowing directly into its face as it tried to fly, and in an attempt to conserve energy it had come in for a landing and a quick nap. By happy accident, it had fallen onto the partially buried form of a dead polar bear. A young Shade never turns its nose up at a free meal, though there wasn't much meat left on the thing, but what the Shade did not know, was that it was this polar bear carcass that would allow her life to change completely.

_"Not the best of pickings that."_

The fear response was instantaneous. That had been another Shade speaking. It must want her kill, or rather, her dinner. A powerful inhalation was enough to gain the scent, and a single spring was enough to reverse her direction and face the threat in a low crouch to defend the spoils. The sight that greeted her was both unnerving, and ridiculous. The other Shade was a male, distinguishable by his low pitched mindvoice and appallingly musky scent. The only reason she had not detected him before had been the fact that her snout had been buried in long dead bear flesh, but he was also an adolescent, like her. He was not large and imposing, but rather small and scrawny looking. But even that would have been normal had it not been for his stance, or rather, lack of one. The male was not standing aggressively or even upright. He was lying on his back on top of her snow bank, staring down at her with inquisitive eyes! This position was such strange behavior for a Shade, that she was completely distracted from her angry defensive attitude and spoke up.

_"What are you doing?"_

The response was both nonchalant, and cheerful.

_"Nothing. Just watching you eat that bear."_

_ "Um.. Why? And why aren't you afraid of me? No Shade gets this close to me and stays."_

_ "And why wouldn't I stay? You're funny."_

_ "They tell me I smell appalling and.. Wait, funny?! Just how am I funny?!"_

The strange male was examining a claw on his left forepaw, holding it up away from his body towards the sky.

_"You smell fine to me, and I think it was probably the way you went to defend that chunk of frozen gristle like it was food."_

_ "Shut up! This is my first food in days!"_

The male rapidly flipped over onto his feet, using his wings to speed his rotation.

_"Well then you're hanging around the wrong places. Come on! I'll take you to get some real food."_

He turned and started trudging his way south towards the mountain in the distance.

_"Hold on a second! You're one of those wierdo Shades that hang around the mountain aren't you!"_

_ "Well, if by 'wierdo' you mean I live there.. Then yes! I am one of __**those**__ wierdos."_

_ "So why should I go with you!? I heard that you guys are cannibals!"_

The male snorted.

_"Who told you that? That carcass you were eating? Come on, we've got real food there!"_

And with that, the male leapt into the sky and flapped off in the direction of the mountain. The little adolescent female stood staring after him for a moment, then glanced down at her scavenged meal. Couldn't get much worse than that. With a single sweep of her wings, she was on the male's tail.

XXX

Toothless

About an hour after the departure of Skuru, the ground beneath them white bluffs gave way to blue tinged swirls. Toothless decided that it was best to keep his thoughts concealed from Sycle. He spoke privately to Ryshkaa.

_"What's happened to the ground? It looks different now." _Ryshkaa gave a silent mental chuckle.

"_That's because it's not ground anymore. We're above the frozen sea. It's a normal body of saltwater in the summer months, but this is the onset of winter. It probably only recently froze over completely."_

Hiccup was staring downwards at the sheet ice that obscured the water beneath them.  
>Toothless decided to voice another question.<br>_"If I recall correctly, the Winter months are also a sunless time up here?" _The response Ryshkaa gave was completely incredulous.

_"How long have you been in the South?"_

_ "I spent forty of my forty-one moons under the influence of the Hive Queen. Forty pointless years of servitude."_

_ "Spirits! You spent your entire adolescence and the rest of your life in that pit!?"_

_ "I did." _A thought from Hiccup nudged its way into Toothless' mind, quiet and somber.

_I had no idea. _

_ "Hush, Hiccup, I didn't want to sadden you. But you should be glad! You freed me from that! Now we can live our own lives."_

Ryshkaa interjected.

_ "You're doing it again, aren't you?" _

_"Doing what?"_

_ "Speaking with Hiccup?"_

_ Did you hear that Toothless?! She remembers my name!_

The female snorted and shook her head slightly. Toothless spoke quickly.

_"I apologize if we've offended you. Neither of us have any experience with Shade society. I didn't even know there __**was **__a society. I shall let you hear our speech with each other from now on."_

Ryshkaa laughed loudly within her mind.

_"Shades did not have any form of society until about fifty years ago, when Alda and The Three came together. There really aren't many rules except for don't kill anyone, and keep physical disputes to a minimum."_

Toothless took a moment to marvel at the idea of a society of Shades, then spoke again.

_"All the same, you have acted as a friend to us in light of new circumstances. We will extend our friendship in return. We need not hide anything from you, seeing as you already know most of what there is to know about us."_

On Toothless' back, Hiccup nodded his head, giving a physical affirmation to the announcement.

_ "On the contrary, I know almost nothing about you two. I don't know how you came to be... together, or why Hiccup is so intelligent."_

_ "Perhaps you'd like to hear our story? In exchange for a little favor?"_

Ryshkaa's voice immediately became wary.

_"What kind of favor?"_

_ "Well you see... I'm teaching Hiccup mental control. He's relatively very good considering he only started a week or two ago. But I want him to experience minds beyond his own. Mine has changed significantly, and now closely resembles his. Perhaps you could act as a surrogate mother?"_

_ "You want me... to open my mind to a human child?"_

Her voice contained almost no emotion. It sounded more like a dull buzzing than the voice of a sentient being.

_"I would stay with him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, and you could close off anything you don't want seen beforehand."_

It was a full five minutes of flying in silence, before Ryshkaa spoke again. In that time, Hiccup's excitement was almost too much for him to contain.

_"Very well. Give me a moment."_

_ "Alright then. Hiccup, into your own mindspace please."_

Hiccup lay himself out on Toothless' back so that his body would not fall in his mind's absence. Toothless then felt him slip away from conscious thought, much quicker than his first two trips.

_He is learning so fast._

Toothless left his eyes open, allowing him a view of the physical world, while his mind's eye opened to observe their mindspace. Hiccup floated there in the blackness. Waiting for him, staring at the two massive spheres that represented both his own mind, and Toothless'.  
><em>This is your best run yet. You're a natural.<em>

When Toothless spoke, Hiccup gave a little jerk towards the outer edge, but stopped almost at once.

_I've been imagining that cloud visual you gave me. You were right. I can think about other things so long as I imagine the cloud that is me... here, up near the top. Now I can sorta move by myself, if a little jerkily._

Hiccup demonstrated by performing a shaky sumersault.

_Wonderful! Now..._

But Toothless' words were cut off by a louder, echoing female voice.

_"Alright, I'm ready."_

_ Ok Hiccup, this is a little tricky. You can see our mind's rotating before us, yes?_

_ Um...yeah?_

_ Good. Now, can you feel them?_

_ I don't underst..._

_ Shhhh, alright Hiccup now, you can't learn this by explanation. You just have to do it. You need to focus on that sphere that is you. It is large. It is round. It is smooth. __**Feel **__it!_

What followed in Hiccup's thoughts was almost inexplicable. Hiccup had the idea of a sphere in the forefront of his mind. Round, smooth, large. But as he turned those adjectives over and over again in his mind, they started to define the sphere in a new way. He could feel in his thoughts, the roundness, and the smoothness of the sphere, rather than seeing an image, he felt it.

_I... I think I did it. I feel it._

_ Now, can you feel the other sphere. My mind?_

And there it was. A second notion of roundness and smoothness, right alongside the first. Hiccup's thoughts, had become physical.

_I feel it. It's like I'm actually holding two spheres. Except I'm not using my hands. I can't even describe it._  
><em> Like I said, explaining it would have been useless.<em>

_ "This is amazing. I couldn't remember what it was like to feel thoughts for the first time."_

This third voice was the voice of Ryshkaa and it startled Hiccup so badly that he lost control and began zipping away towards the edge. After a moment, he caught himself and slowed to a stop. When he turned and looked back he saw Ryshkaa floating right alongside Toothless.

_I thought that we were coming to you, not the other way around._

Both dragons chuckled.

_Ryshkaa got bored after waiting so long. She asked permission to come and observe, which I granted her._

_ "You couldn't very well turn me away, considering."_

_ My thoughts exactly._

_ "Well don't let me distract you continue!"_

_ Alright then. Hiccup, you still feel the spheres? _

_ Yes, I can still feel them._

_ Good. Now all you need do is reach outward. The closest thing to our minds right now is Ryshkaa's. _

For just one moment, Hiccup hung there in silence, completely unable to figure out how to flex the new muscle he had discovered. Then, it just seemed to explode away from him. He was aware of a third sphere floating beyond his vision, as well as two others in the far distance.

_Whoa there!_

The two distant spheres disappeared.

_Let's not go bothering someone grumpy like Sycle. Or that other one, what was his name?_

_ "Kale."_

_ Yes, him. I'm just going to keep you separate from those two, shall I? Just focus on the third sphere. That's Ryshkaa. That's where you're trying to go. _

_ Should I just imagiaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_

Hiccup experienced the most intense pain he had ever felt in that one moment. For just a second, he was being pulled in two different directions at the same time with the force of a rampaging Nightmare. His skull felt as if it had just been struck by Gobber's hammer. His vision of Toothless and Ryshkaa flickered, then went dark. He was no longer able to see his mind orbiting Toothless', all he could see was blackness.

Then, the pain lessened. And he was able to think again. He tried to see, tried to form coherent enough thoughts to call for Toothless, but nothing sounded. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. Then he felt it; The sphere that had been the object of his focus was directly in front of him. He felt it, but he could not see it. The only thing he saw was darkness. Then warm scales brushed against his hand. He felt the side of Toothless' jaw sliding past his cheek, and his thoughts quieted and became still.

_Strange, isn't it? You can feel it, but it looks like it's not there._

_ Y.. Yeah. W.. What's up with that?_

_ You just experienced two defense tactics that a Shade can employ against you. The first was what we call a Flare. An intense burst of negative feeling, it makes some feel pain, others nausea, still others vertigo. It can incapacitate your mind if you let it overwhelm you. That's why I asked Ryshkaa to demonstrate._

_ You lousy reptile. I'll make you pay for that... Somehow._

_I'm just being a good teacher. Now, the second tactic is called Masking. She has shielded her mind behind a barrier. Her feelings of secrecy are literally rendering her mind invisible. Now, you don't have nearly enough control or experience to try and infiltrate Ryshkaa's mind. So she's going to drop the defense in about... now._

Slowly, an enormous, shimmering sphere faded into sight directly in front of Hiccup. A tiny point of white light shone from the exact center.

_In we go?_

Toothless chuckled.

_In we go._

XXX

Astrid

"What the hells am I doing here what the **HELLS **am I doing here?" Astrid was muttering to herself as she stepped lightly through the shadows of the forest.

_You, Astrid, are following this little dragon who is kind enough to guide you away from all of the nasty beasties that have taken up residence in the forest._

"Shut up Hiccup!"

_Ok, seriously. Don't speak to me out loud. That's a great way to let everything in the forest know you're here._

"Sorry, but I don't spend time thinking to myself."

_You probably should then. The Terror is taking you to the Cove. You'll be safe there._

"Wonderful! Just Wonderful! And how exactly does the figment of my imagination know that?"

_You yourself know that the Cove is in this direction, and your subconscious mind had figured that the scent of a mating dragon hanging over the place will probably drive away all the other dragons._

"Eww! Eeeww! That is **NOT **the mental picture that I needed just now!"

_Oh shut up. It's not like its anything... Well I suppose by normal standards it's pretty weird, but for me it's just all in a day's.._

"Shut up. Right. Now."

Laughter echoed around inside Astrid's head. She had been trudging through the forest for the better part of two hours now, following the bobbing, weaving, serpentine route that her dragon guide had decided to take. She figured that the voice in her head was probably right, considering she'd seen neither hide nor scale of another dragon since stepping into the forest, but that did not mean she had to like it.

She had just started to wonder if they were out in the middle of nowhere, when she slipped past a bush, and was faced with the edge of the enormous depression where Hiccup had spent all his time with the Night Fury.

_Ok, I'm thinking fish from the pond is your best bet. Make sure you get two, one for each of you. You should be ok for a fire, all the dragons are gonna keep watch on the village and wait for the Vikings to break cover._

"Why are they just sitting around and waiting to eat us?"

_Come now Astrid, I only know what you know. And I know that this is some kind of genocidal strike. They're trying to exterminate you like the vermin you are._

"Only what I know my boot."

Astrid began the descent into the cove. It took much longer to find the path in the dark, but she eventually stumbled and tripped her way down onto the spongy moss bed that served as a floor. The Terror immediately ran off towards one of the trees on the rim, Thor knew what for. Astrid, on the other hand, made a straight path towards the pond. She jumped up onto a rock that lay at the water's edge and peered downwards. The moon was obscured by a wisp of cloud, and so in that lucky moment, she was able to see down into the water, unhindered by reflection. She could see multiple large fish moving amongst the plant life at the bottom. She assessed how best to retrieve them with her current equipment. She only had a few blades, no spears or line.  
>But these were big, slow bottom feeders she was hunting. If she were quick enough, they'd be easy to pick off. Astrid stepped back from the water's edge, loosening the belts that held her weapons strapped to her body. Once she had each blade set to the side in a carefully arranged display, she took note of the temperature. It was rather cool out. Winter was oncoming and the water would be uncomfortably cold. This needed to be quick. Astrid began discarding clothing.<p>

_Good gods above Astrid. If your mother knew what you were doing in the company of a boy!_

"I'm sure she'd be horrified at the thought of my showing my body off to a figment of my imagination. Now shut up. I'm hungry."

Arranging her clothes neatly next to her weapons, Astrid picked up one small dagger and took a runner's stance. With three powerful strides she was pushing off of the rock, flipping once in midair and diving into the water.

When Astrid emerged from the pond dragging two large fish, with neat stab wounds in their backs, from behind she was greeted by the sight of a small little fire crackling merrily next to her clothes with a few logs of pine wood piled next to it. The Terrible Terror sat next to the blaze, gazing proudly up at her. That look brought a small smile to Astrid's lips. It looked so pleased with itself.

_Well Astrid, it seems we're more alike than I had thought._

"Now what are you babbling about?"

_Well come now, you're not the only one who's stood naked and smiling in front of a dragon._

"I swear to the gods if I could see you I would punch you. In the kidney. Until you bled."

_No need to get violent. I'm just exposing the ugly underside of your thoughts._

"Well shut up. I'm going to go get more wood, then I'm going to dry off, and then I'm going to eat this damn fish. So please be silent."

_Well, I think I'll just wait until the next funny thing comes along. Then I'll speak up._

Grinding her teeth, and suppressing the shivers that were starting to affect her rapidly chilling body, Astrid jogged to the pines at the Cove's rim and started collecting larger sticks and branches. The Terror followed her, trotting along in her wake and occasionally making the odd cooing or snarling sound that Astrid had no hope of interpreting. After gathering a sizeable haul of wood, plus a stake to skewer her fish with, she made her way back to the little fire, which had almost blown itself out.

Astrid dumped her load of sticks and added the smallest of them, along with the ones the Terror had left to one side, then she blew on the pile her surprise the Terror followed her example and blew on the pile of smoldering embers and sticks as well. In the dragon's case however, a small stream of burning liquid splashed onto the sticks, relighting them instantly.

The Terror gave a gleeful little yelp and walked around the fire a few times. Astrid stood and skewered her fish, planting the steak so that the dead creature was suspended above the flames. The Terror ran over to its fish and dragged it over to the fire, before tearing into it with gusto. Astrid smiled slightly.

"That's gross."

_Look who's talking._

"Hiccup, I'm starting to tolerate the dragon. Don't ruin it."

The disembodied voice made no response.

By the time the Terror had finished devouring every last morsel of edible fish that being the entire fish, Astrid's was just about ready to eat. She only now realized that she had not eaten since that morning, and thus made short work of the meal. By this time the warmth of the fire and the breeze in combination had dried her skin completely. She stood and re donned her clothing. She left her weapons arranged next to her on the ground, before curling up next to the fire and closing her eyes. Then she opened them again.

"You're sure the dragons aren't going to come anywhere near here?"

_Positive._

She closed her eyes again, but for the second time, opened them again. The tiny dragon that had become her companion was snuggled up to her abdomen, facing the fire. It gave a little coo of content before dropping into what seemed to be instantaneous sleep. Astrid smiled slightly, before closing her eyes and following suit.

XXX

Hiccup

The small pinprick of light in the side of Ryshkaa's mind grew slowly into a blinding glare, then Hiccup was surrounded in white. Eventually, the white faded, and grey took its place. An enormous space filled with vague, swirling grew shapes came into focus. The first thing Hiccup noted, beyond the odd look of the place, was its temperature. Whereas his mind had been warm and sunny and welcoming, this place was cold. Cold, grey, and featureless.

_"Yes, I know it's not very welcoming, but what can I say? My life hasn't been the happiest. Not like your little 'ball of sunshine' thing you have going on."_

_ I'm.. I'm sorry._

_ "Don't bother. I'm just fine. I've a home, a good friend, that could be a good friend plus two now, who knows. You two are nice enough."_

Toothless' voice interjected, though Hiccup could not see him anywhere.

_"Someone who's had such a life as yours doesn't trust easily. Why do you trust us?"_

Ryshkaa responded in a somewhat saddened voice.

_"Oh I don't trust you entirely. But while I was over in your mind I had a nip around. Hiccup has no defenses once I got under your guard, Toothless. I examined some of his life. He and I have very much in common. I trust in shared experiences."_

Toothless' voice snarled at this and displeasure shocked Hiccup's nervous system.

_Calm down buddy! It's okay! I don't really mind!_

_ "And there's the other thing of course. When you wrong someone, they usually care. Your human is very strange indeed, Toothless."_

Ryshkaa's voice was wistful now. It seemed that within her own mind she let all kinds of emotions show through that were blocked on the outside. She was quite the interesting person.

When Toothless spoke again, his words were no more than an angry snarl.

_"We should go. I see your mountain up ahead in the distance. Hiccup, do you mind if I take care of this part?"_

Hiccup could hear the tension in his mate's voice. If Toothless were allowed to stew over this, he might just blow up in Ryshkaa's face. That would be very bad if they were about to meet a mountain full of Shades. As Ryshkaa's mind faded from his mind's eye, Hiccup concentrated his thoughts.

_Toothless!_

A low grunt. Hiccup opened his eyes and flipped over so that he was straddling Toothless' neck. He grabbed one of the ears and tugged sharply.

_Ow!_

_ Listen here you big lug, you are going to let this go. Ryshkaa meant no harm, and I don't care in the slightest. We're about to meet a very large number of our kind and I hope to make a good first impression! You are going to be on your best behavior or I swear the next time we're alone I'll incapacitate you and not let you get up until you calm down. Understand?!_

_ You are extremely cute when you're threatening me. Did you know that?_

Hiccup gave the ear another tweak.

_OW! Yes! Ok! Dammit!_

Hiccup crossed his arms and muttered.

_"Good."_

At this, Sycle's ears perked.

_"Did your human just speak? I thought he'd be mute travelling around with you. Where did he learn to speak?"_

Toothless thought fast.

_"Well he just likes to make random noises now and then. You know, make sure he still um.. exists."_

Internally Toothless slapped himself.

_"Yes... well, no need to worry any longer. Look!" _

Hiccup had been staring at the mountain dead ahead in an effort to appear deaf. What he saw was amazingly beautiful. In the moonlight, a mountain peak shone, wreathed and enveloped in an enormous ice sheet, that was easily taller than Berk's mountain by a few hundred feet. The mountain peak stretching above it must be something like twice the height of Berk. The peak was silhouetted against the starry night sky, and the entire sheen sparkled with moonlight refracted by the ice.

Kale let out a dragon chuckle at Toothless' intake of breath. Sycle spoke again.

_"Welcome to Home Cave stranger."_


	27. Chapter 27

AN/ Ok, so I have returned. I apologise for disappearing, but there was things to do. I used the whole last month to write a present for a friend of mine. It also evolved into the prequel for the project I'll be undertaking after I finish COTN. More details on that later. You guys should know that LEPShot is as usual the rock steady anvil against which I can place this story and beat it into what I want with a mighty hammer of laughter, sarcasm, and other misc. Shenanigans. He is the reason this story has gotten so much more awesome. Anyway, now that he's done blushing, I'd also like to give a shoutout to NF15617, for his magnificent in depth review which he sent via PM. Discussion with him has given me renewed vigour. I realize now that I'm rambling, so I'll stop and let you read. I can promise updates in the much-sooner-than-usual future. ONWARDS!

Chapter 27

Astrid

Astrid woke to a sharp jab in her side. Occasionally, there would be a large splinter sticking out of a bed frame that offered a jab, but nothing compared to this. It felt as though a small bone trowel had been stuck in her side. She sat up, hands automatically finding and grasping various sharp and pointed implements from beside her sleeping spot. Looking down, she found the Terror staring up at her with wide eyes.

Before Astrid could even lower her blades, the tiny dragon went running off at full speed towards the cove's edge. It stopped at the base of the crevice where they'd come in, and waved its tail at her, as though to hurry her along.

_It would appear that our friend wants you to follow him._

"Well he can go ahead and lick my boots then, because I am damn hungry."

_I think we both know why he's running._

"Yeah? Well I think only one of us cares."

_There is only one of us._

"Shut up!" Astrid leaped to her feet and stomped over to the pond. The sun had come up, and was now in a position that suggested it was just an hour or so before noon. The sun turned all that was green in the cove even greener. Shades of colors that normally held a mute and greyed tone from the cloudy light filtering down from the sky were flamboyant and deep.

Luckily, her distraction did not prevent her from hearing the cry. Some distance to the southwest, the sound of a hunting Nadder rang through the forest. With a great burst of swearing, and a greater burst of speed, Astrid was off and running running for the Terror, which was still sitting beneath the crevice, staring back at her. The voice in her head was chuckling with mirth, but she found herself not caring, as she scrambled up the rock pile after the small reptile.

XXX

The Great Ice Shelf of the far north is an extremely peculiar environment. The Northern Ocean surrounds the entire sheet, and passes beneath it was well. For the most part, the Ice Shelf slopes down and meets the water in a gradual fashion, but in one particular place, the seabed is lower than anywhere else. The ice here rises up in an enormous wall, well over two hundred wingspans tall. This is a place where Shade's prefer to reside. On the surface of the Ice Shelf, snow accumulates in great drifts, and creates ideal den and burrowing conditions, while the drop to the ocean below provides easy access to nourishment.

There is, however, one place where more Shades are concentrated than anywhere else. If one travels along the edge of the Ice Shelf long enough, they would eventually find a single mountain peak, rising up over three hundred wingspans above the surface of the ice. Given that the ice itself is already two hundred spans, and the ocean extends to an undetermined length beneath it, this mountain is truly massive. There is a place in the side of the ice wall, where access can be gained to an enormous cave system within the mountain. Here, Shades have gathered in numbers never before seen, to address the threat of the Dragon Queen.

Heartbeat of the Arctic

Ryshkaa

XXX

Hiccup

"_Well, I don't know about you two, but all I see is a mountain and a huge mound of ice." _The frigid air whipping past Hiccup's face had started to sap the heat out of his ears. He pulled his new cloak tight about him and shook his head a bit. _"It is also my personal opinion that it's damn cold up here. I can't imagine what the temperature actually is. I was dealing with early winter on Berk fine with no shirt." _Toothless chuckled.

"_Indeed you were, but that's an excellent point." _He grudgingly turned to Ryshkaa. _"I don't see anything that looks like a cave large enough to accommodate a society's worth of Shades."_

Ryshkaa's snort produced a wisp of smoke.

"_That's probably because you're using the wrong senses! Alda fixed the entrance specifically to fool the eye. Use your ears." _Hiccup was thoroughly confused by this statement, but he saw Toothless prick his ears at once and turn them towards the ice. At first Hiccup had no idea what was going on, then he felt a slight pang in his mind, as though a pulse had just passed through his thoughts. As he watched, a white wave spread out across the frozen ocean, defining each crest and trough of the drifts of snow that sat atop it. When the whiteness reached the ice wall, it rushed upwards extremely quickly, tracing each and every contour of ice. And then, the entrance to Home Cave was suddenly made apparent.

At certain spot, about halfway up the wall, the wave broke, and parted around a large oval space.

"_That's very well concealed. How did you manage it?" _Toothless fired the question at Ryshkaa, sounding annoyed that anything to do with Ryshkaa could be successful.

"_Nature managed it for us. The ice is contoured in just such a way that, when seen from the air, it looks exactly as though the wall itself continues unbroken. From below the gap is evident, but we're not worried about anything that dwells that low."_

Now, Sycle's voice sounded again, gruff and authoritative.

_"Alright stranger, you're going to pass through that hole in the wall with wings spread, then immediately afterwards, fold your wings quickly, and drop into the space beneath the entrance. And no, there is no chance that you could land somewhere and climb in slowly. Just enter... and drop."_

Toothless looked at Sycle for a moment over his shoulder. Then he turned back to the gap that was rapidly approaching and bit down hard on his own teeth.

_"If I kill us both, promise you'll forgive me?"_

Hiccup laughed loudly, making the other Shade's look at him._"I promise!"_

Toothless closed his eyes and opened his mouth. Wave after wave of white light passed over the wall surface and Hiccup saw it all. The oval gap was always the center of focus. Toothless continuously shifted and altered his wings and tail fin to make his approach as precise as possible. Hiccup had his foot tense and ready in the stirrup, in case he needed to make any quick shift to keep their two bodies aloft.

Hiccup also noticed a change in the flight of their escort. Ahead of them, Ryshkaa also locked onto the hole. Kale and Sycle fell into file behind them. The wind whistling their ears became deafening. But just before the hole engulfed them, Hiccup, as he pressed himself to Toothless back, turned his head slightly, and caught a glimpse of the outline of a shade, hanging inside a crevice in the ice. Then darkness engulfed them. The pitch blackness was lit with wave after wave of white light spreading out from Toothless' mouth, outlining the smooth features of a completely smooth tunnel.

Almost immediately after entering the tunnel, the outline of Ryshkaa ahead of them narrowed as she closed her wings and dropped. At once, Toothless snapped his wings shut and Hiccup simultaneously flicked the tailfin closed. They fell forward into blackness.

As they dropped, the white light spread out and outlined a large space with the floor far below and walls spreading away on either side. Directly ahead, another tunnel sloped upwards and away. As Hiccup and Toothless registered these things, they spread their wings again and slowed their fall to a glide.

Ryshkaa's voice sounded in their heads. _"Very good. No broken wings? No broken necks? Very good indeed." _

There were two distinct rushing sounds from the opening, amplified by the massive space. Sycle and Kale came dropping out of the opening and snapped their wings open. All four Shade's circled in the air.

_Just to be clear, Toothless, um... how exactly are we seeing?_

_Oh! I forgot to explain this? Shades have superior night vision, but in places like caves and snow dens, a lot of the time, there is no light. It so happens that we also have extremely sensitive hearing. Sensitive enough to perform echolocation. _

_So... What I'm seeing is an image constructed from echoes?_

_As far as I can tell at the moment, your mind is just observing. I'm the one seeing._

_Well go ahead and brag about it, why don't..._

"_You two!" _The voice of Sycle shattered the silent exchange. _"I want everyone on the ground, now."_

Ryshkaa and Kale closed their wings at once and fell. Toothless was just a hair behind them and Sycle stayed up for a full second longer, only dropping when Toothless did.

As soon as they landed, Hiccup launched himself from Toothless' back, feeling the pop and cracks as unused joints were set to work again as he stretched, extending every muscle within his power.

Ryshkaa made a small snickering snort. _"Been holding still too long?"_

Toothless released a furious snarl and his wings opened slightly. It was a very strange thing to see each movement wrought by the pulsing white waves. Ryshkaa responded defensively, rearing slightly and extending her teeth.

Before anything else could happen, Sycle's sinewed forepaw smashed into the side of Toothless' head, knocking him off balance and provoking a full on shriek. As Toothless staggered sideways, the white waves of sound emanating from his mouth became irregular, and motion was no longer as clear. The movements of everyone in the group became short and staggered. Kale flung himself in front of Ryshkaa as Hiccup leapt to Toothless' side, placing himself between him and the older Shade. Without bidding or thought, Hiccup's knees bent and his arms rose. Each of his fingers became stiff and crooked. He bared his teeth and released half of his breath in a high pitched scream of anger.

The complete unexpectedness of Hiccup's actions were enough to bring the entire party up short. Every Shade in the cave stood stock still and stared at the human. Toothless' sound had regained its even rhythm and Hiccup once again had access to near-normal sight. Sycle's upper lip was still lifted and his wings half open, but he did not move.

_Toothless, what did I tell you? I'll be damned if we get into a fight now, in their __**home **__no less!_

Toothless shook his head and released a puff of smoke.

"_This human has more to him than we thought, Sycle." _The deep and rumbling mindvoice of Kale resonated in the silence.

"_That may be so," _Sycle snapped, _"but I will __**not **__have this youngling disrespect me or any of my wing. Do you understand, newcomer?" _The last word's volume dropped low and quiet. There was danger in that tone.

Toothless slowly folded his wings, and ducked his head while maintaining eye contact with Sycle. His pose spoke of submission. _"I understand."_

Sycle very abruptly turned away and began to make for the passage that cut into the wall.

"_Kale, stay behind him, and make sure there are no... problems." _The enormous Shade grunted once, then took up position behind Toothless. Ryshkaa circled and took up stride beside Toothless, with Hiccup in between her and him. The whole group moved off into the tunnel.

Hiccup gazed around at the walls, but there was little to see with no color. The floor was cold, but then, everything was cold here. He had no idea what any of the place was made of, be it ice or stone. There was a little niggling feeling in his mind, and with quiet clarity, Ryshkaa's voice rang in his head.

"_I'll be damned if that didn't wake the whole cave." _Hiccup glanced over to Toothless to gage his reaction, but the dragon simply walked on beside him, still seething in agitation. _"Oh, I'm shielding these words from him. You can speak how you wish and he won't hear."_

"_Well, it's not as if I don't want him to hear, I just don't want him to get so angry again."_

"_It's common amongst newly mated males. They're so protective and so eager to please that they'll explode in the face of anyone that even looks at their mate in the wrong manner."_

"_Really? That's adorable."_

"_Until he picks a fight he can't win."_

Hiccup frowned while that sank in. All the while the tunnel had been sloping gently downwards._ "Well Toothless' behavior aside, as long as we're talking, would you mind answering a couple of questions?"_

"_Depends on what they are, I suppose."_

"_Alright I'll just go ahead and ask. Firstly, what is the power that you used, both to free Toothless' mind and bless Skuru with unearthly speed, and who is this Alda I've heard mention of?" _Out of the corner of his eye, Hiccup saw the corner of Ryshkaa's mouth lift slightly.

"_Well, little human, seeing as we're near Home Cave, I'll tell you just this. The power that I used is known as the Heart's Fire, and Alda is the one who instructed me in its use. Now hush. I'm breaking contact in case one of the three tries to speak with me."_

With that, the niggling feeling vanished. And almost at the exact same time, they reached the end of the tunnel.

Toothless' sound waves now spread far out in every direction, tracing a space that defied defining. As a matter of fact, the sound waves grew fainter, and vanished before they even reached the cambers end. In front of them, the ground sloped upwards and away, with jagged ledges and spires of floor protruding all over the place. As soon as Hiccup stepped out of the tunnel, he felt a difference. The air was warmer here, and the stone beneath his feet seemed to be leeching away the cold. Having regained feeling in them, and after the brief spasms and the needle-like feelings, he could definitely sense stone beneath his toes. Rough, warm, stone.

When he looked up, he saw that the ceiling also had spires of stone stretching downwards toward the floor. In some places, the spires from floor and ceiling touched and formed enormous columns that baffled his notion of architecture. And in whatever direction he looked, he could see Shades.

They weren't numerous enough to cover all the ground in the cave. Rather, he could see about five or more groups, scattered all over the place, each made up of five to six Shades. These groups seemed to be stationed regardless of terrain. Some hung from the ceiling spires while others lay on the floor or lounged on ledges. Hiccup estimated that there were about thirty here. And every single one of them was staring directly at him.

Ever since he'd run away with Toothless, Hiccup had not really been overly bothered by much of what he'd faced. But now, in the presence of thirty or more of Toothless' kind, he found it difficult to think of them as his own kind in that moment, he found himself to be nervous, and fidgety. The group did not stop, but marched right past the gathered dragons and continued up the slope. To Hiccup's increased discomfort, the majority of the Shades that watched them pass stood or took wing and started to follow them. In no time at all, they had gained an enormous procession of black scaled, solemn faced danger.

_I don't know about you, bud, but I'm feeling the slightest bit unnerved. _As he touched Toothless' mind, he found a roiling font of emotion. These were the first of his kind he'd seen in his lifetime, besides Ryshkaa and her cohorts. He was bouncing back between the emotions of happiness, fear, uncertainty, and suspicion so quickly, that they blurred into a single dizzying swirl of feeling.

Before them, the sound waves finally began to bounce off of a surface. Ahead of them, the ceiling rapidly dropped down towards the floor and the walls closed in. By the time they reached the top of the incline, they were standing in a space about the same size as the Mead Hall back in Berk. Hiccup could now see four distinct gaps in the white wave pulses that indicated openings, presumably other passages leading off from this room. There was an opening on either side in the walls, and two in the floor, one directly ahead, and the other off to the right side. Above the opening in the floor, a ledge protruded from the wall and on it, sat three Shades.

All three of them were leaner, and less intimidating looking than the others Hiccup had seen, but they also appeared frail. Almost all of them had one or more body parts that twitched or spasmed slightly. They sat with hunched backs, and their wings were not so much held against their backs as they were sagging against their sides.

_These three are very old. _Toothless' voice was quiet and tinged with awe. His mother had provided him with no memories when he was a hatchling to suggest that Shade's could ever be this old. But then, when they spoke, their voices resounded in unison very powerfully in Hiccup's mind. He could detect two feminine voices, and one masculine.

"_**Skuru, are these the visitors you told us of?" **_

As though he'd sprung from the rock itself, the lean and muscular form of Skuru appeared beneath the ledge, tail twitching excitedly.

"_Yes, elders!"_

All three pairs of eyes gazed down at the two unblinkingly. To either side of them, Ryshkaa, Sycle, and Kale all extended their left forelegs and nodded their heads slowly. The rustling behind them suggested that the others were doing the same. Toothless decided that the best course of action was to sit and keep his wings tightly closed, wrapping his tail about his legs. Hiccup sidled over and leaned against him, taking comfort from the brush of scales.

One of the voices that had before spoken in unison now spoke alone, allowing Hiccup to familiarize himself with it individually. It was one of the females.

"_The human is as peculiar as you said, Skuru. He clings to the juvenile as though it were his mother. How very... odd."_

Once again, the three voices spoke together.

"_**We would like to hear the story from the beginning. Ryshkaa, if you would?"**_

Hiccup saw Ryshkaa stiffen out of the corner of his eye, and inhale sharply. She stayed rigid for about three seconds, then her forelegs buckled and she sprawled on the ground, gasping loudly.

Now, the other female voice spoke alone.

_"We're terribly sorry my dear. We're not used to the tender thoughts of you young striplings."_

And now, the male voice spoke alone.

_"This tale is quite peculiar. So, you answer to the name of Toothless? Why would a member of our noble race submit to such a ridiculous name as that?" _

All was silent for a full ten seconds, then Toothless spoke.

_"It's the only name I've known. I was in the Queens power for forty years, and it's the only name I was ever given."_

What followed was an outbreak of what Hiccup could only assume to be the crowd of Shade's behind them muttering to themselves. He only caught snatches of what was said, but it mostly revolved around disbelief, and a few statements of disgust.

The first female voice spoke again, overriding and silencing all mental noise. Hiccup drew closer to Toothless, who unfurled his right wing and wrapped it gently around Hiccup.

_"And when, exactly, did you start travelling with this human?"_

This time, Toothless' response was faster and more sure.

_"Only a few weeks after my freedom was attained. I found him wandering in the forest. I was injured, and either he's even duller than a human ought to be, or he's exceptionally compassionate. I'm inclined to believe the latter. He fashioned this prosthetic tail fin, which gave me back my flight."_

The old, masculine voice boomed with judgment.

_"I'd say he'd have to be damn bright if he's able to keep you both aloft."_

The second female voice was quieter than the other two, and less forceful. Hiccup was already able to distinguish it from the other.

_"There seems to be no harm here. The question is what to do with them."_

Another murmuring outbreak sounded from the assembled Shades. Hiccup heard many suggestions including immediate death, slave labor, or a place in the ranks, whatever that might mean. But just as Toothless' wing was tightening protectively around him, a fourth voice, this one male and just as powerful as the other two, rang from the silence.

_"I'll tell you what. First things first, is they are going to visit with me for a time in my hall. When they're story is recorded, and only then, will you start to put the young Shade through the paces."_

Directly ahead, a Shade hobbled from the opening below the ledge on which the three elders sat. This Shade, was not quite so stooped or baggy winged as the other three, but his body still shouted of age. As he reached a point directly in front of the ledge, he spoke again, and Hiccup could hear a distinct smiling quality to his voice.

_"Alright, here's what you need to know. My name is Alda, and those three fogeys behind me have forsworn their names as they put it, 'in the name of their duty'." _The strange Shade made the final words sound particularly broken and creaky. Hiccup heard several dragon chuckles behind him. _"Now, you'll be coming with me. You too, Rysh." _Ryshkaa was just pulling herself off the floor, still panting, but she still nodded vigorously and took a few steps in Alda's direction.

When Hiccup glanced up to the three on the ledge, he saw that they all had angrily narrowed eyes, and their sagging wings had shifted slightly towards an angry attitude. Toothless unwrapped his wing and nudged Hiccup in the back. The boy stepped off and made his way for the opening, while the thunderous mental voice of all three elders spoke in his head. He could hear the anger in their voice.

"_**Dismissed!"**_

XXX

Tuffnut

"OY!" Gobber's thunderous voice boomed out over the remnants of the Vikings of Berk. The twins looked up from their short swords, which they had been sharpening on pocket whetstones.

The two blond teenagers sat back to back on top of a table, away from the rest of the group. Ruffnut had joined Tuffnut after Astrid had woken him up, and the two had not said a word to anyone since yesterday. Conditions were rapidly deteriorating in the hall. It had never been built to sustain large groups of people with the doors sealed shut. There was a ventilation hole up in the roof for the smoke of the central hearth to escape, but not much air came back through it, and the atmosphere was swiftly becoming stuffy and dank.

As Gobber's call faded into silence, it took all of the low muttering with it, leaving silence in the room. The Twins sat rigid and alert.

"Anyone seen Astrid? I can' find 'er!"

Tuffnut's grip on his sword tightened. Muttering broke out once again, as everyone in the chamber started searching in all directions. Unfortunately, there weren't very many places to look. After a few moments, someone called over the shuffling of bodies.

"She ain' here Gobber!" The hushed mutterings elevated to loud grumblings. Questions started to fly between individuals. Tuffnut pushed off of his sister's back and leapt to his feet as she flailed for balance. She was on her feet as well mere moments later, delivering a sharp jab to his kidney. Both sheathed their swords as they headed for Gobber. The group was congealing around the man, so it was difficult, but they managed to force their way to the front, leaving many behind to hop on one foot or nurse a throbbing shin. When they got near enough to Gobber, Tuffnut spoke into his ear.

"My bet is that she couldn't take the inactivity. She's probably outside."

Gobber responded in like volume, below the angry drone of the other Viking's. "If she is, then it's her own damn fault if she get's fried."

Tuffnut raised an eyebrow, then turned and made his way back out to the edge of the crowd, with the aid of his sister's elbows and boots. A moment later, when they'd reached the edge of the throng, he heard his sister's low mutter.

"Something's buzzing around in your head Tuff. And I know from experience that that is a very bad thing."

He felt a scowl twist his face. "Oh, shut up. I'm going to find Astrid."

At these words, Ruffnut stopped short. "Aaaaaand, why would you do that?"

Tuffnut's hand rose and two fingers pressed against the slice that was scabbed over on his cheek. "Because she was right. I need to stop (=) around and fight back. She's out there doing something. That's where I want to be."

When Tuffnut reached the doors, he delivered a rapid, light blow to the watchman's gut. As he doubled over, his sister threw her hip into his side and he toppled to the ground. Tuffnut spared a glance back towards the group. They were still arguing about what to do about Astrid. Tuffnut felt disdain flicker through him. Then he noticed his sister, standing behind him.

"You don't have to come, you realize." Ruffnut snorted.

"For one, I'm not about to leave you alone in the company of Astrid. You'd probably come back missing a limb or two and sterile. I'm coming along to make sure you don't have all the fun." Tuffnut harrumphed, but as he turned away to shove the gate open, a small smile broke his angry expression.

XXX

Astrid

There was a horrendous crashing noise as the pine tree tumbled to the ground, knocking into other trees and showering the ground with needles as it went.

"Your fault, your fault, your fault, this is ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Astrid was running. Astrid was breathing heavily. Astrid was being hunted.

_Well, how were we supposed to know that there was more than one of them?! All you noticed was a cry and you took off like a frightened Terror! No offense to our little friend._

The Terror in question was clinging tightly to Astrid's neck, having wrapped its entire body around her and woven its claws into the hair that spilled down her back. To her right, a fireball exploded against a tree, sending glowing splinters into Astrid's side as she was lifted and thrown to the left by the shockwave.

As she tumbled into the underbrush, swearing loudly as the splinters burned into her skin, she heard the Nadder come crashing through the trees behind her. When she finally stopped rolling, she was on her back, with the Terror sitting on her chest. Her view in every direction was obscured by a dense clump of brush.

A screech tore through the woods, quieting every other being. Crickets, (other insects) fell silent and still, and for a suspended moment, time froze. Astrid lay on her back, heart hammering away, and simply held the Terror against her chest with one hand, the other reflexively moving to her sword.

A wingbeat shattered the tension, and as a blue streak came flying through the leaves towards the pair from the right side, Astrid was up and running before she realized that she had moved. The Terror was on her shoulder, its claws digging into her flesh, but other than the pain, its presence went unnoticed.

Orange light registered to the young Viking from behind, and she rolled to the side, the shot singing some loose strands of hair while setting the tips of others alight as she attempted to dodge the flame.

As she rolled to her knees, her weapon was drawn, and she turned to face the dragon that was swooping down towards her, legs lowered and claws pointed at her face. An upward slash sent the scaly monster wide over her head with a gash in its chin. Astrid let her momentum carry her forwards and performed a shoulder roll as the dragon passed over her, raining fat drops of hot blood as it went. She came to her feet on the other side, once again facing the Nadder.

Unfortunately, the Nadder was readying its tail. Astrid leapt to the side and placed a large pine between herself and the dragon. There was a brief whistling sound. On either side of her, thin, angular lines of blurred motion cut across her vision. She heard a soft whimper directly in her ear, and just then remembered the Terror clinging for dear life to her shoulder. Her hand lifted and stroked along its back, then she jerked it away. Why the hel had she done that?

_That was adorable, but I recomend running. Fast. Right now._

_ "_I can deal with a single Nadder." She turned her head slightly."If you know what's good for you, you won't stay there while I'm fighting."

There was a quiet squeak, and the Terror leapt forward, scrambling up the tree. Astrid checked both sides. There was nothing but flat ground and a few bushes to her left, but on her right there was a rock. Not a very large rock, it only came up to her knees. But it was to some advantage.

Her right hand still grasped her sword, and her left hand quickly dropped to pull a dagger from its sheath. As she leapt up to the rock, the Nadder jumped around the side of the tree, a stream of flame bursting from its maw. Her feet had barely even brushed against the rock with she extended her knees and leaped again, this time to the side and past the tree. A blast of heat flashed across her right side, making the burns in her skin throb painfully.

There was a loud crunching sound, and the Nadder's tail lashed back and forth behind the tree.

_It's not the brightest chicken in the flock, now is it? It's just run its head into a tree._

Astrid's voice hissed through gritted teeth. "I can see that, now shut up before..."

She was interrupted by the dragon rapidly shuffling to one side, removing the tree from its path, then charging. However, before Astrid could even lift her sword, the Nadder froze. In the sudden silence, a sound could be heard in the distance. It sounded rather similar to someone yelling. And it was getting louder.

Astrid took a few steps back as the Nadder's head swung up and to the side, angling towards the sound. The noise was becoming steadily louder. It was definitely someone yelling.

Without any warning whatsoever, two Vikings, both with golden hair flowing behind them in the breeze as they dashed through the bushes, passed between Astrid and the Nadder. Astrid felt her jaw drop, but unfortunately, she was not left there to ponder the surrealism of what she'd just witnessed. Rather, she was forced to turn and run as well, as the massive group of dragons behind them came thundering through the forest. There were all types included in the group: Zipplebacks, a Gronkle, even a Nightmare.

As Astrid ran, the dragons at the front of the horde ran directly into the Nadder. With a scream, the Nadder lashed out and drew lines of red across the Gronkle's face. With vigorous shrieks and angry cries, a battle royale exploded behind the running Vikings. A long and low list of curses and angry words fell from Astrid's mouth like water as she got her balance back and started to run at her normal speed.

_Well, this is unexpected._

"I really hate you right now."

_Why?_

"You don't even have a damn body. I'm the one who's gonna get shredded!"

_Don't be stupid. If we keep running and don't stop, then neither of us gets shredded._

Before Astrid could reply, there was a rushing sound and something impacted her shoulder. She felt the sharp bite of talons. As her left hand started to whip upwards toward her shoulder, Hiccup's voice thundered in her head.

_It's your Terror, damn it all!_

She glanced to the side to see the wide-eyed, tiny dragon clinging to her shoulder and whimpering softly. For just a moment, a tiny smile tugged at her face. Then she scowled and shook her head.

_You two are adorable._

An angry snort was the last sound beyond labored breathing that Astrid made as she dashed off into the forest behind the Twins.

**AN(2)/ Ok bros and um... female bros. This chapter is hot off the press and I didn't look over the whole thing when I finished so I apologise for any excessive errors. See you soon!**


	28. Chapter 28

AN: Ha! Bet you didn't expect this! Chapter within a week! BAM! Anyway, I won't harass you with any more speechifying, except to tell you that LEPShot still the inspiration he's been for the past chapters. I'll let you get on with it. Review for updates as fast as this one!

Chapter 28

Hiccup

As soon as they stepped past the passageway entrance, Hiccup threw his mind at Ryshkaa.

_"Are you alright?!" _Ryshkaa walked ahead beside Alda, and while his step was sure and steady, her legs shook every time she put them down. Her breathing was heavy and panting, and her folded wings drooped slightly, much like the aged Shade beside her. The reply was tired and amused.

_ "I'm fine, Hiccup. Just a bit of fatigue and a splitting headache."_

Beside Hiccup, Toothless' stride became slightly heavier, and the boy heard a distinctly annoyed snort pass from his snout. _"What happened back there?"_

This time, the voice that responded was masculine, and it fell far more heavily on the listener's minds, with the authority of what Hiccup assumed was experience.

_"What happened was those three pieces of chum decided that they would just fish the story out of young Ryshkaa's mind without her permission. They have no respect for younger Shades' privacy. Well, we couldn't let your true role in the story come to light, Hiccup, so I helped Ryshkaa to conceal some memories. The toll on her was heavy though. She needs some rest." _Both Hiccup and Toothless' eyes widened as they heard the old Shade refer to Hiccup by name. _"Oh, for the love of the stars, you didn't think I was going to disbelieve my own senses, did you? That's the problem with youth today. Think they know everything."_

This last statement had quieted down in volume, as if the speaker had turned away, and Hiccup got the distinct impression that Alda was thinking to himself.

"_Where was I?" _After a moment the voice rose in elation. _"Ah yes! Now, we're going to need to work quickly. Toothless, they'll want to assign you to a Wing as soon as possible, given your age. So, I must teach you two to function independently in a very short amount of time. That might be difficult, but it must be done. Now, stick close. When you don't know this place's tricks you can get turned around pretty easily." _

All through the time Alda had been speaking, the group had continued on a slightly downwardly-sloped path through solid rock, still warm for reasons Hiccup did not yet know. But now, the tunnel branched, and the light waves passing from Toothless' mouth outlined four separate passageways, one of which they were standing in, the other three all moving away in different directions. Alda and Ryshkaa took the right fork.

There followed such a confusing mass of twists and turns through solid stone that Hiccup quickly lost track of where he was. There were branchings everywhere and multiple times Hiccup thought they'd doubled back because almost every passageway looked the same. What he did note was that they were constantly sloping downwards, and the air was getting slightly warmer, the farther they descended.

Toothless was not very comfortable with the fact that the entire tunnel network cut through solid stone. Shade's were naturally creatures of the sky. They constructed a den to raise their hatchlings of course, but those were usually made of snow. Easily destroyed. Here, Toothless felt constricted, and Hiccup placed his left hand on his mate's neck, stroking back and forth, trying to sooth him.

Toothless did not like the fact that Hiccup was soothing him, though he kept his feelings secured behind closed thoughts. _He_ was the provider. _He_ was the protector. Nothing as silly as a cave should put him off shook his head. He knew that Hiccup at least had faith in him. But that in itself was horrible thought. What if Hiccup's faith was disappointed? What if he failed at some point in the future? He would not be able to bear the shame. Or the sorrow he knew would fill Hiccup's face.

Toothless' tail lashed, and with one step he lifted his head high and clamped his jaw down on Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup gave a shuddering gasp and fell to one knee, limbs frozen while his head tilted back and his eyes rolled.

At exactly the same time, another Shade passed across the tunnel they stood in. At once, Ryshkaa opened her jaw wide and stretched out her wings, giving the mighty semblance of a yawn. The Shade ahead paused, then continued on his way.

Toothless regained control of himself a moment later and released his hold. Hiccup's cloak had been slightly crumpled at the shoulder, but nothing more. A very small drop of saliva was making it's way down the side of the boy's jaw from the corner of his mouth.

Hiccup was just turning to smile quizzically at Toothless, when Ryshkaa's angry voice interrupted them. Each of her words was distinct, punctuated with very precise and staccato pronunciation. _"I would suggest that you keep your physical urges under control whilst you are here. I guarantee that almost any Shade in this mountain that sees you engaged in such activity would challenge you to a fight instantly."_

Toothless' reply was calm and dangerously quiet. _"I'm not going to apologise for my actions. I'm fully entitled, but I promise that we will remain discreet in the future."_

"_See that you do." _The female folded her wings.

The awkward silence that followed, was shattered by the loud and powerful voice of Alda. _"Well! Things get about twice as exciting with you two here! This is fantastic! Now come, my hall is near." _And indeed it was. After only four more turns and plenty of walking, they came to a single archway.

Hiccup blinked and rubbed his eyes. Color was leaking out of that archway. There was light. He was able to see an icy blue glow, emanating through it. His eyes had become accustomed to the complete darkness, so for a moment he just stood and blinked. Then, with apprehensive steps, he passed through the archway with the others.

The sight that greeted him stretched his mouth into a massive "O" of amazement. He was standing at the base of a massive space that extended up what would have been well over ten floors of a house in Berk, and out to either side a good four hundred feet. In the center of the space, a large column ran from floor to ceiling, its surface segmented into six panes, making Hiccup suspect that it had been shaped. Every single surface was shiny, reflective, and perfectly smooth.

On every single surface, on almost every square inch, ice-blue drawings were inscribed. Because the space behind the reflective surfaces was pitch black, each inscription appeared to just be floating in space, independent of gravity. The symbols were as varied as the snowflakes that fell from the sky in Berk. Every now and again, the symbols would glow brighter for a second, as if a light had passed over them, but the flickers were rather dull and sparse.

Moving closer to the column, Hiccup could make out the specifics of individual runes. One was a very simple drawing, a wide "X" connected on either side by a half circle. Another, just above it, bore resemblance to the waves of the violent tides, with sharp, curving lines stacked upon each other, seemingly moving in the same direction.

The wingbeats of a Shade off to his right tore his eyes away from the massive structure, and Hiccup observed an immense, circular chamber of obsidian. There were ten or twelve floors above him, each stacked upon the other with about fifteen feet between them, and faint blue lights spilled over the unprotected lips of the landings. Hiccup's neck was starting to hurt as he gazed upwards. The light was the strangest thing he'd ever seen. Everything was dark, and black, so it almost looked like the room went on forever, but the light from the runes reflected off of the walls and floor, thus defining the actual space.

"_Alright then, you can both stop staring. We need to get this done." _Both Hiccup and Toothless dropped their gazes to stare at Alda. _"Right, now, Toothless, as I said, since you're so young, they'll want to assign you to a Battle Wing at once. You'll train and learn from the group you're put into, and eventually you'll help take down the Queen."_

"_What if I don't want to?"_

"_Then you'll be kicked out of Home Cave, and if we fail you'll feel a horrendous sense of guilt for the rest of your miserable and pathetic life." _A low snarl ripped it's way through Toothless' throat and his wings unfurled slightly. _"Now then, they won't want Hiccup here running around without knowing he's not dangerous. I'm going to keep him here, under the pretense of assessing his mental capacity and the threat he poses._

"_Now, in order for this to work, you are going to have to learn to act and think independently of each other. The Three have set very complex and unnecessary rules in place to keep every Shade focussed on the task at hand; defeating the Queen. You two must be careful with your contact. Once you're seperate, Hiccup will learn from me, and he'll have a far better chance of surviving a life amongst dragons. You will go and learn the same from whatever Wing they assign you to. Understood?!"_

The last word was spoken so loudly, that Hiccup and Toothless both jumped.

_What do you think, Hiccup? This whole thing sounds suspicious. _

_Really? I think if they meant us harm they'd have already killed us. This sounds like a good idea to me. _Toothless let out a puff of smoke.

_Very well. But just know that all you need do is call, and I'll be by your side in moments. _Hiccup grinned, then turned and leapt onto Toothless' back, biting down on his ear. Toothless' front left leg buckled and his eyes rolled.

"_I swear to the spirits..." _Ryshkaa was lashing her tail in an annoyed fashion.

Hiccup immediately leapt off of Toothless and said, _"Yes, we're ready." _Behind him, Toothless panted and gasped, partially kneeling on one leg.

Alda sighed. _"This is going to be difficult since you two are so newly mated. But I think it will strengthen your bond in the long run."_

"_Yippee." _Toothless glared at Ryshkaa.

"_Now, Hiccup, how familiar are you with your own mindspace?" _Hiccup smiled.

"_Toothless taught me about that. I can get into it and out of it alright, but working within it is still difficult."_

"_Hmm, it might be a good idea to let myself and Ryshkaa assist you two in this." _The smile on Hiccup's face dropped and he glanced between Ryshkaa and Toothless. The male looked about ready to kill.

_Alright Toothless, this time, it will be expected, and everything will be fine ok? Please? _Toothless snarled. _For me?_

The snarl petered out and rose in pitch to a whimper. Hiccup rested a hand on the large dragon's head. _It's gonna be fine._

In that moment. Toothless' eyes widened. This was not how it should be. He didn't need consoling. It should be him offering comfort. The shame and anger washed across his mind before he could pull it back and a single tear formed in his large and emerald eye. He realized that if the torrent of unhappiness went unchecked, it would cross to Hiccup, and that would only make matters worse. With a jerk and a roar, he wrenched his thoughts away from Hiccup.

For a moment, Hiccup tried to hold on, but then, calm and powerful thoughts of peace overcame him with overwhelming authority, and he found himself moving in the opposite direction of Toothless' mind. When Toothless spoke next, it echoed, and sounded flat, like any other dragon's voice.

"_Where should I go?"_

_"Go back to The Three, and tell them that I sent you. They'll assign you to a Wing. And whatever you do, don't reveal memories of this to anyone."_

Toothless' nodded, then turned and walked out through the doorway without another word.

_"Go with him Ryshkaa. Make sure he doesn't get lost."_

Hiccup, in the meantime, was reeling. He was so alone. it was dark all around. There was no one there. And there never would be. The empty space where Toothless' memories and mind should reside was aching and painful. It was as though someone had shoved a knife into his mind, and then left it there. As Alda lifted a wing over the young human, Hiccup began to cry.

Ryshkaa caught up to Toothless in moments. Toothless did not even notice. In the space where Hiccup should be, he covered the pain with his goal. His new purpose. When he saw Hiccup next, he'd be a Shade worth calling upon. He would never let his Hiccup down, and if he had to pull this entire mountain down around The Three's ears to become that dragon, then so be it.

XXX

Stoick

In the muggy and smoke-filled air of the mead hall, the atmosphere was subdued. Three young warriors had sucumbed to rash decision and gone barreling into the claws of the enemy. Now, the sound that could be most easily be heard was the slow and gasping breaths of Stoick the Vast.

The massive man lay on his back amongst the furs that the healer had somehow managed to scrounge from the meager supplies. His enormous, bare chest rose shakily, then fell swiftly. Each and every breath was a gasp. His pale skin, that had only a few days previous, glowed with the prime of life and the energy of a much younger man, was now marred and disfigured. Great, wide swathes of angry red burns roved over his body, and in places, the flesh was dead and limp, hanging from his frame and displaying the color of ash.

The Elder sat beside the enormous man with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. Stoick was asleep at the moment, which was good. Every moment he could spend in unconsciousness was probably beneficial to his sanity. Vikings with lung burns had been known to fall to insanity due to the lack of oxygen.

Without opening her eyes, the Elder reached to the side and lifted the warm cloth from Stoick's brow, transferred it to the basin in front of her, then back to his head. The cool water would only remain so for a few moments before it warmed to his temperature, but it was, at the very least, some way to help.

On three separate occasions after Astrid has left, Stoick had spoken. He had remained asleep for the first two, and for the third, he'd woken. When he'd first muttered in his sleep, it was about his earlier life, as a much younger and foolish chief. During those mutterings he'd spoken to his wife about the hardships he faced and how grateful he was to have her. The Elder had stroked his hand and murmured kind words, allowing him to sink back into peaceful sleep.

Only a few hours later, he was speaking to his wife again. This time of Hiccup. How he had such trouble relating to the boy. How the entire village must now think him a failure. And he wished fervently for her to come back. He begged, pleaded even, to be allowed to see her just one more time.

The Elder had applied the cloth then, sensing a fever, and she began to grind a few of the small rations of herbs she had managed to bring with her into a bowl. She filled the bowl with water and had Stoick drink it all down. He'd quieted then, but before he fell into stillness again (for he had not opened his eyes once, not even to drink) he managed to gasp the words, "Where is Hiccup?"

The third awakening was more violent than the other two combined. Stoick sat bolt upright, breathing heavily, eyes darting to either side. His wheezing pants became louder and more stressed as he searched around the small makeshift tent, but apparently he did not find what he was looking for. He dropped backwards onto the ground, all the while repeating under his breath, "Hiccup. My Fault. All m- my fault. Where is he?! Where is Hiccup?! Gone now. Just like her. Everyone leaves in the end."

While he panted and whispered to himself, the Elder decided that it was time to intervene. Stoick would only be able to stew for so long before things started going badly.

"_Look 'ere you big oaf. I remember when you was not but a wee lad. And I know for a fact that Stoick the Vast alway puts his people first. Your wife understood that." _She was tapping on his jaw with a wooden spoon, and his flickering eyes somehow managed to focus on her. _"You and Hiccup may have had a scrap, but I have the strangest feeling in my bones about that boy. I get the feeling he'll be back. And you need to survive long enough to reconcile with him. And if you don't, I'll beat the stuffin out'ya. Got it?!"_

Stoick missed most of the first message, he instead stared at the Elder's mouth. He'd never heard the Elder speak out loud before. Her voice was rather ordinary. What really caught his eye was the fact that while she was speaking, her mouth barely seemed to move at all.

He found himself now focusing on nothing but the return of his son. The Elder had said it was coming, so now what else could he do but hope? He would run to his son and give him the biggest hug he'd ever given anyone, and ask him how he was. With any luck, that would be enough. Because further planning was stymied when darkness once again swept his vision.

XXX

Astrid

It seemed that the Twins could really run when they wanted to. Astrid found herself lagging slightly as the frightened adolescents ahead of her continued their headlong dash, moving deeper into the forest. She found herself gaining knew scratches and bruises as branches, brambles and tree roots all did their best to cause her bodily harm. On branch managed to catch her on the underside of the jaw, and she felt precious blood begin to run down her neck. Turning her head to face behind her, she saw that the angry dragon horde had disappeared entirely from sight. With a swift pull, one of her knives was in her hand, and a quick movement sent it was flying on ahead of her.

The blade glinted dangerously in the sun as it passed between the Twins and embedded itself in a pine trunk ten feet ahead of them. Both Viking teenagers dug their heels into the ground and came sliding to a halt. They slowly turned to face Astrid, their labored breathing contrasting with Astrid's lighter breaths.

Now that everything was still, parts of the environment started to register with Astrid. The forest was filled with green light, and here and there a shaft of sun struck the ground, creating a small circle of gold. All in all, it was a peaceful scene, and Astrid found herself relaxing, despite her knowledge of the horde a mile or so behind them. No sounds made their way to her ears other than ragged breaths from her companions and the odd bird call, and she suspected that a massive fight had slowed the dragons, giving them a reprieve, for the moment.

The Terror sitting upon her right side gave a slight grunt, licking its eyeball while turning to her. The sound made Tuffnut look to her, and his eyes went wide with shock.

"Astrid, roll!" He yelled, drawing a blade and charging at her at almost full speed. As he went, he drew the sword from his belt and sent it stabbing out towards the Terror.

_Don't be gentle._

A slight smile lifted the corner of Astrid's lip and her left hand automatically drew her knife, crossed her body, and knocked the sword away. She then lashed out with her right foot, her boot connecting solidly with Tuffnut's gut. As he doubled over, his sister jumped and tried to slash at the Terror. Astrid's fist caught her right below the ribs as she came down, and she fell to her knees, the knife dropping from her hand. In one final gesture, Astrid sheathed her blade and knocked the two's heads together with a resounding thunk. They collapsed backwards on the ground with identical groans.

_I would have given them a few more bruises to think about._

Astrid's reply was whispered. "Well you're not me." She knelt down.

"Alright, listen up you meatheads, 'cause I'm only going to explain this once. This little Terror and I, we have an understanding. I helped him out, and he's helped me out. You don't kill him, I don't hurt you. Got it?"

The Twins were both gagging and dry heaving slightly. Perhaps the shots to their abdomens were a little more intense than intended. When Tuffnut finally had control of his voice again, he managed to gasp, "You sound... a lot... like Hiccup."

Two distinct muscles in Astrid's eye twitched. Her knuckles clenched together and popped loudly. She knelt down in front of the now fearful Tuffnut. The Terror on her shoulder hissed quietly.

"Don't you _dare_ compare me to a murderer."

Astrid could feel the stony expression that her face had fallen into, and she knew just how frightening it could be. She made an effort to relax, taking in a deep breath, and letting it out slowly. On her shoulder, the Terror relaxed its aggressive posture and settled down, wrapping it's tail once again around Astrid's neck. As for Astrid herself, she stood and turned away from the two, letting them get slowly to their feet out of her line of sight.

"What are you two even doing out here, anyway?"

Ruffnut was the one that responded.

"Tuff was getting sick of the adults arguing and sulking. I think you must have beat some spirit into him, gods know how. But I wasn't about to let him run off and have fun taking names without me."

Astrid heaved a sigh. She had not wanted more than one scout outside the hall. This made things more complicated. If they split up, she was sure that the Twins would distract each other and blunder into another horde of dragons somewhere, but if they stayed together, she'd have to spend all her time keeping them off each other's throats.

_Well this is just adorable. You've suppressed your violence, and now you're thinking like a mother. _

"I swear, if you don't stop popping in, I will figure out SOMEway to make you suffer."

She froze, then turned and caught a glimpse of the bewildered faces on the Twins.

Before she could trouble herself with thinking of an excuse to explain herself with, her attention was taken by the loud bellow of a Gronkle in the distance.

"Shite. Both of you! On your feet! We have more ground to cover!"

And they were off once again, turning the trees around them into green blurs. The crashing and snappings behind them made it evident that the dragons were in hot pursuit. Unfortunately for them, one of the dragons had remembered that it could fly. With a heavy thud, a Monstrous Nightmare landed in front of them, hide fully ablaze. Around it, trees and shrubs immediately caught fire, and the three teenagers all yelled and veered as one, off to the right, towards the mountain. Behind them, the group of dragons barreled headlong into the Nightmare, and various angry snarls and shrieks rang through the air.

_Those dragons bicker even more frequently than the Twins._

Astrid did not respond, as she knew that the Twins would ask awkward questions. But she thought with all of her might, "_It is completely irrelevant how much anyone bickers, when we are running for our lives."_

_ Look at you, starting to think your speech like a big girl. I'll say again, adorable. Now then, how about we just focus on getting our ass up that mountain over there._

After only a few moments, the trees fell away, and Astrid found herself speeding straight up the side of a large rockpile. Part of the cliffside had broken off and crumbled, falling in pieces down the slope, leaving a huge, climbable surface. The Twins were already bounding from rock to rock, scrambling upwards.

_"This is no good, we're more exposed up there."_

_ True, but at least if we're up there, we have the high ground._

Astrid's eyes widened. She felt new strength course through her legs and she went leaping from rock to rock with the agility of a mountain goat.

"Hey! Meatheads! Up to the top as quick as you can!"

The two glanced back at her, and Ruffnut yelled back, "What the hells did you think we were doing?!" Astrid did not waste breath explaining. Rather, she caught up to the two, and passed them, making for the highest available point in the rock slide. She spared a moment for a glance back down the slide. At the bottom, a few flashes of color were becoming visible through the foliage.

Astrid made a snap decision. This was as high as they could get. She skidded to a halt on top of a boulder and turned, drawing her sword as she went. She shoved the point downwards into the crevice between her boulder and the one below it, and heaved.

"I want to see as many rocks as possible bouncing straight down the beasts' throats!"

The Twins immediately dropped to their knees and began shoving to free a second rock. Astrid gave a grunt and sent her boulder tumbling down the slope. The Twins succeeded as well. Simultaneously, they all switched to new rocks. In less than a minute, at least ten boulders were rolling and bouncing downwards. The first dragon out of the treeline was a Nadder, and with a distressed squawk, it disappeared beneath Astrid's first rock.

As the rest of the horde broke through the trees, they all found that it was no longer a safe place for them to be. Rocks came clattering and smashing, crushing many dragons, and then rolling into the forest.

The teenagers managed to keep the onslaught going for five minutes, before the Twins collapsed against the scraggly roots of a tree that was doing it's best to grow through the rock field, hands bleeding. Astrid knelt next to them, observing the results of her idea. She found that almost all of the dragons had been caught off guard, and more than forty of them lay dead or crippled. The remaining five were three Terrors, a Nadder, and a Zippleback.

Astrid stood and went bounding down the rock field, knives drawn. Five distinct scarlett flashes splashed across the trees.

XXX

Toothless

The maze of passageways was no easier to navigate on this occasion than his first excursion. Ryshkaa was leading him through incredible numbers of turns and twists, and a few times, they'd even had to climb upwards or downwards.

A few Shades crossed their path from time to time, but every single one of them turned and averted their gaze when they identified Ryshkaa. Under normal circumstances, Toothless might have inquired into their lack of acknowledgement, but at the moment, he was giving more than half of his attention over to resisting the urge to seek out Hiccup's mind and envelop it. It was the strangest of feelings, being separated. It had not happened violently and unexpectedly this time, so he was still able to think clearly. His mind was still a cohesive whole, and yet, he found that he could not escape the undeniable sensation that something was... missing.

There was a warm and sunny side of his mind that just wasn't there now. Hiccup had been significantly involved in making him happy. Now he found that he could not sustain any form of good mood. He tried numerous times to separate from the problem, and instead concentrate on how he would solve the coming trials, but in every corner of his mind, he found a tiny, whispering tendril of thought that cried out for Hiccup.

For this, when Ryshkaa finally stopped, he was still extending and retracting his teeth in agitation and doing his best to keep his tail from whipping. The place where they'd stopped was a tiny opening in the side of a tunnel, just large enough for a Shade to squeeze through with wings at their sides. Toothless found that actual light was glowing within. He ceased his echovision, and stared at the orange flickering coming through the hole. Ryshkaa gestured with her nose towards the opening, then proceeded through.

For a moment, Toothless regarded the hole, and tried to decide whether or not she was really asking him to enter. Then an aggravated voice interrupted him.

_"Get in here, icebrain." _

With a slight snarl, and a single lash of his tail, Toothless squeezed his head through the opening.

On the other side, he found a large circular chamber. There were stalactites and stalagmites encompassing the room border, and in the center, a fire burned. All around the flames, in various sprawling and stretched positions, lay Ryshkaa, Kale, and Skuru. The warmer atmosphere impacted Toothless face, startling him and making him jerk back. In doing so, he spotted Sycle, hanging wrapped around one of the rock icicles hanging from the ceiling.

Skuru's high pitched voice rang inside Toothless head as he tried to get the rest of his body through the opening. He kept trying to extend his wings for balance, but they only snagged the stone walls and slowed him down.

_"Look, the newcomer cometh! Where's your human? I rather wanted to play with it."_

With a sharp report, Ryshkaa's tail flicked through the air and snapped Skuru across the nose from across the fire.

_"Ow! What's your problem?!" _Ryshkaa's reply was calm and commanding.

_"Silence your wretched mind, Skuru. You're behaving like a hatchling."_

_ "Well how else should I behave?" _He flicked his split tongue.

_"You're almost twenty cycles older than I am. And I'm only forty. I shouldn't be babying you." _

_"Well you're also about twice my size. Maybe nature just wants me to remain a hatchling."_

That was when Sycle interjected.

_"You're both behaving ridiculously. You're making a fool of my Wing before the newcomer." _The words were laced with so much commanding authority that Toothless flinched and Ryshkaa and Skuru both curled into smaller, less relaxed positions.

Sycle then released his hold on the protrusion and dropped, landing silently alongside the fire. He stepped carefully past the two and blocked Toothless' path. _"Alright. You're new here, so I'm going to tell you this once. This is my Wing. They are under my command and I am responsible for their actions. The place you're standing in is our den. We sleep here, as well as conduct business pertaining to ourselves. The Three want you to join our Wing for training, so here's how things will work._

"_You will rise with us an hour before the dawning each morning, and perform our exercises and physical conditioning with us. You will eat meals with us after that, and follow us on patrol. Now, I don't let anyone serve me who's story I don't know. You will, at this time, share all memories. And don't worry, anything embarrassing I glean will not be anywhere near as bad as the things I've learned from others."_

Before Toothless could even say a word, a very firm and powerful thought jumped passed his barriers completely and began to rifle through his memories. His first reaction was to resist and attempt to remove the probe, but after just a second he thought to himself.

_Let him find out. I don't care what he, or anyone else for that matter, thinks._

It only took a few minutes for Sycle to cycle through his entire life. Toothless stood and did not break eye contact with the older Shade for the entire transfer. He took one step back and braced for the angry reaction. To his utter disbelief, Sycle snorted and turned away, placing a paw in the center of the flames. He stood there for a moment, before leaping back up towards the ceiling.

"_A fascinating life you've had. Though I would recommend that you keep your human quiet until Alda has the time to integrate him. In the meantime, you should sleep while you can. You've travelled long without rest, and tomorrow, you will need every ounce of your strength."_

For a moment, Toothless stood, staring incredulously at the dragons around him. Every single one of them had dropped into sleep, almost simultaneously. After a moment, he could think of nothing better to do, so he dropped to his belly, then rolled to face his underside toward the flames. He sighed in content as the heat drove any memory of the arctic chill from him. As he sank into sleep, he felt tendrils of alien thought, flicking and probing at his mind. For a moment, he threw up his defenses and repulsed the tendrils. As they repeated their advances toward his mind, he found himself sensing intentions that were merely curious, and not in anyway angry or malicious. Very cautiously, he dropped his defenses.

A flood of images overtook him. His own memories and thoughts, his emotions and instincts, everything that identified him as Toothless was washed away. Images, thoughts, emotions, and feelings from four distinct lives swirled around him. Here and there he could see his own mind amongst the turmoil. He suddenly remembered the times he'd spent with his father, hunting seals on the ice. The times he'd spent with his cousins, playing at the entrance to their ice cave. He remembered hundreds of things that had not happened to him, and he knew that he was no longer an individual.

The ache that had pulsed in the place where Hiccup's mind should rest was dulled. It remained, insistent and unforgettable, but it was slightly more bearable.

And with that final thought, Toothless allowed his mind to dissolve and scatter through the thoughts of five Shades. But before he subsided, he noticed one small clump of thoughts and memories that were dark, unreachable. When he tried, he could not see what they contained. One of the five was concealing something.

XXX

Hiccup

It took a long while, but eventually, Hiccup managed to get his tears under control. He had no idea how much time had passed, but when his eyes finally dried, he shrugged Alda's wing off and tried to stand. When his legs wobbled, he felt scales brush against his left side and he automatically leaned his weight, thinking that Toothless was beside him. The dusty feel of Alda's scales provided significantly less comfort.

"_I may be a poor substitute for your mate, but what little comfort I can offer is yours. I wanted you here so that I could offer you instruction in the ways of Shades. I can teach you everything you need to know to integrate with the rest of us here, and you and Toothless will be able to interact peacefully with all those that accept you."_

Hiccup was not looking at Alda, instead staring at his surroundings. The seemingly floating symbols that surrounded them... he recognised them. The symbols that Ryshkaa was able to draw, the symbol that had freed Toothless, and the symbol that had sent Skuru speeding into the distance with impossible velocity. They had both looked exactly like these. Hiccup crossed to the pillar base in the center of the room.

"_Teach me about Shades if you must, but what I truly want to learn," _He touched a single symbol with a single finger. _"Is this." _There was a burning sensation. Hiccup's eyes widened.

He was standing in the middle of an enormous ocean. Rather, he was not standing, but floating above the steel grey swirling waves. Across from him, a Shade he'd never seen before floated in a similar position. A low voice thundered through the air.

_-The currents in this ocean are unique, in that they reverse once every ten cycles. This allows the- _

The ocean and Shade vanished as Hiccup pulled his finger away from the wall. He gasped as pain ran through his hand. When he looked down, he saw flames leaping from the finger that had touched the symbol. After the initial pain, Hiccup found himself staring with interest at the fire. Slowly, the skin of his finger started to turn black, then crumbled away, revealing shining black scales beneath.

Alda crossed the small space beneath him and sniffed at his newly colored finger, turning to Hiccup.

"_It seems as though teaching you about Runes, will be the foremost goal in my mind."_

Hiccup drew a deep breath, then smiled.

"_Let's get started."_


	29. Chapter 29

AN: Ok, I know it wasn't as soon as you hoped, but running all over LA and then running home and going to school the next day… yeah it was not very easy. But I'm just glad that it got done. The usual thanks go to LEPShot for his consultation, and of course the fact that he has my brand. Anyway, there are many shenanigans yet to be had, as we're starting to get into the fun stuff. Let us journey together into the Night. Onwards!

Chapter 29

Toothless

The following morning was a horrifying experience. Skuru awoke first, seeing as he had an uncanny instinct for the passage of time. He was accustomed to the Dream Pool, and he knew that acting on his own was a bad idea. As soon as he opened his eyes, the others were jarred awake, and began to rise out of sleep, some more quickly than others. Skuru smiled slightly while he watched the dreams of his Wing slowly start to fade.

He shook his head. A smile was not anything he had knowledge of. It was an entirely alien concept. Where else could it have come from except the newcomer? Skuru isolated the thought that had caused his jaw to twitch in such a strange fashion, and traced along it back to its source. As suspected, he found himself amongst a clump of Toothless' dreaming thoughts. One in particular jumped out and filled Skuru's mind. An image of the human that Toothless traveled with appeared, its face split and teeth bared, not in aggression, but in... happiness?

Skuru was delighted with his new discovery, and quickly tried to delve deeper to see what other interesting things he could find, but unfortunately for all the inhabitants of the small cave, Toothless awoke.

With a mighty howl and several thrashing movements of his tail, Toothless leapt to his feet and tried to drive what he perceived as alien minds away from his consciousness. All five Shades burst into motion, most confused by this violent upset of their thoughts, and for a full five minutes, the small space was filled with twisting, snarling, hissing, and angry Shades.

Luckily for everyone involved, Kale and Sycle managed to band several cohesive thoughts together. Both of them ceased their movement and reared back on their hind legs simultaneously, and letting loose two roars of such volume that every chaotic thought in the room was quieted, and every Shade relaxed into a sitting position. All except for Toothless.

Toothless stood with his ears flattened and his teeth out, eyes flicking between the other five residents of the cave. He flinched violently when Kale's slow, deep voice penetrated the sudden silence.

"_Who poked the newcomer?" _Every single eye in the cave fell towards Skuru.

"_What?! I was just trying to..." _His words cut off abruptly, and Toothless saw Ryshkaa staring at the small Shade with the anger that seemed to be her natural response to just about everything, except perhaps Hiccup.

After a few moments of silence, Skuru shook his head, and turned and extended a wing towards Toothless.

"_My deepest apologies, Toothless, I acted without thought." _Toothless had no idea what the little Shade was doing until Ryshkaa's voice echoed in his head.

"_He's offering vulnerability to you as a sign of apologetic submission. Lick the leading edge to show you accept."_

Toothless' snout wrinkled. It was one thing to know another dragon by smell and sight, but a sense of taste was something usually reserved for mates. In compromise, he stepped forward and ran his nose along the edge of Skuru's wing.

When the little dragon had bounced back into his place in the newly formed circle, Toothless finally asked, _"Somebody want to explain what all four of you were doing in my mind?" _All present turned to Sycle, but the older Shade just turned and stared at Ryshkaa.

"_Explain to him on the way. I'm damn hungry." _As one, the four dragons that stood across from Toothless turned away from him, toward the one tiny hole in the wall. Sycle led the way with a measured gate, neither hurried nor slow. Skuru bounced after him, and Toothless followed him after Ryshkaa pointed with a wing. Kale brought up the rear.

In the tunnels outside, there were far more Shades bustling around than there had been during the previous evening. Intersections were interesting affairs, as some Shade's stopped for others, while others seemed not to care who's path they stepped into. No one seemed to want to pass Sycle, though.

Toothless' eyes flicked wildly between each individual, and his frame tensed with the sudden onslaught of strange sensations. He'd only ever been in the company of two of his kind at the most, and those had been his mother and juvenile sister. Travelling with Sycle's Wing when they'd met had been too stressful to consider anything beyond the threats that each of the others had posed. Now, he found himself trying to memorize the form and figure of every stranger. Some had different manners of walking, while some smelled so alien that Toothless could barely register that they were dragons.

"_Where are all of these Shade's from? They seem quite diverse." _His private thought met a flat reply from Ryshkaa.

"_The Three's etiquette orders forbid private conversations in public places. Wait until we eat, then we can talk." _Toothless' eye ridges furrowed in consternation.

"_What kind of ridiculo..." _He was silenced by a swift mental jab. He had to suppress a yelp, but a snorted gust of air still escaped his nostrils, along with a small amount of smoke.

Eventually, after pushing past at least twenty other Shades, Toothless found the tunnel widening out into the massive hall that they had entered through. Turning his head back, Toothless saw The Three, sitting on their ledge, eyes closed, looking as though they had not moved an inch since yesterday. As soon as he looked at them, Toothless felt something enormous brush against his mind, and he cringed. Instinctively, he wanted to throw barriers around his mind and defend his past and present thoughts, but a small voice in the back of his conscious suggested that perhaps it was better to not draw attention. As they proceeded away from the ledge, he felt the attention directed at him lessen, then vanish, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

The enormous chamber still awed him just as much as it had when he first saw it. The downward slope was rough enough to provide good traction and holds. What Toothless found the most obvious difference in the chamber however, was the absence of the numerous Shades that had occupied the space before. Now, he saw not a single other dragon in the hall, save for a group of five walking in the opposite direction.

Toothless increased the speed of his sound waves, intent on gaining as complete a knowledge of the strangers as he could. But before he could even catch a glimpse, there was a strange shift. The minds of Sycle's Wing, which had until now been open and wide ranging, now contracted and formed into a single armored whole. The paces of Ryshkaa, Skuru and Kale changed. Toothless found that in a matter of three steps, they had shifted positions, placing all of them on his left, between himself and the approaching group. He also found his mind boxed in, as the single mind of the four contoured itself around his.

Thoroughly bewildered, Toothless tried to see the strangers. He found them all walking single file just as Sycle's Wing had been a moment before. All five of them were lean and muscled, with many jagged markings and scars running up and down their hides. As they approached, Toothless saw their teeth extend and their backs rise, wings unfolding slightly. His companions of Sycle's Wing did the same. They passed one another, and while the two leaders of the Wings ignored each other, the followers all let out low and drawn out hisses. The steam wafted past Toothless face, heavy with the scent of anger.

As the leader passed the center of their Wing, Toothless managed to catch a glimpse of his face between the shifting wing of Ryshkaa and Skuru. The very first thing he noticed, was the large piece that was missing from the stranger's ear. In that same moment, he felt a strange surge of terrible anger. He hated this face. He recognised it from a memory that was not his own, he knew each and every thickset line and crooked scale, and he hated it with a deep, burning passion.

Just as the groups passed, the other leader lifted a lip and snarled, with his eye pointed directly at Toothless.

Only a brief moment later, the two groups had passed one another and Ryshkaa, Skuru and Kale all returned to their previous positions. Their mind separated into four distinct pieces again and the group continued on as though nothing unusual had occurred. After two more minutes, they'd reached the passage that had led in from the icy entrance.

_"Am I allowed to speak to you now?" _Ryshkaa heaved a sigh.

_"I suppose it should be fine. Just be sure to shut up if you feel the attention of The Three."_

_ "Are you going to explain what was happening while I was asleep, or who those other Shade's were?"_

Ryshkaa took a deep breath, but before she began, Sycle veered off to the side, away from the large passage that led to the entryway. Toothless could see a much smaller opening about four wing lengths to the right of the main tunnel.

_"When a Wing sleeps, we allow our minds to overlap and fall together. Everything gets mixed up into one single pool of thought. A Dream Pool. Eventually, you will grow to know your Wingmates as you know yourself, some maybe even better. When we are all so familiar with one another that there is no thought in our actions as a group, then we are the best fighting force that we can be." _They'd entered the smaller passage now and it curved downward and to the left very sharply.

"_What if I don't want t..."_

_ "We've already been over this. Your choice to stay was made. Now, you must learn." _The passage moved off to the right again, and Toothless noticed a change in the air. It was becoming rapidly colder, and he could smell moisture. When the passageway broadened out into a small chamber, Toothless could see the reason. Half of the room's floor and walls were solid stone, albeit a little damp, while the other half was a sheet of flat, black, motionless water and walls of ice. It soaked up Toothless' sound waves like a sponge, only reflecting the smallest amount to allow Toothless to observe the surface.

_"The five we passed on the way here in the meantime were Ito and his Wing, Myza, Zonni, Pyke, and Crawn." _

_ "Why were we all so angry? I'd never even seen them before!" _Ryshkaa sighed.

_"That's a matter you'll have to take up with Sycle. But I recommend you don't try now, we're about to leave." _And just as she spoke, Skuru and Kale dove into the water, each creating the smallest of splashes.

_"Wait a moment, this is the exit?" _Toothless inquired worriedly.

_"It is indeed."_ Ryshkaa's voice was wry and annoyed. Toothless broadened his next words so that Sycle could hear.

_"Can one enter the cave this way?" _It was Sycle that answered.

_"One cannot."_

_ "Then how is it you expect me to get back in if I can't fly?" _

They both stared at him. For a good five minutes, all was still. Then Ryshkaa spoke softly.

_"Truly?"_

_ "Without Hiccup, I might as well be a cripple. No, I __**am **__a cripple." _He waved his false tailfin before their faces, locked in it's closed position.

This time, the silence stretched for more than fifteen minutes. Toothless assumed that Skuru and Kale were privy to the entire conversation. He decided to wait for whatever it was Sycle was going to say.

After Toothless had endured the two's stares for as long as he could stand, he snorted and stamped one paw against the ground. Ryshkaa blinked, while Sycle remained motionless. After one more moment, the older Shade turned away, and spoke with his usual gravelled authority.

"_You will remain here today. We'll bring you breakfast. We can't have one as inexperienced as yourself running or swimming around in the open._" Without another word, both he and Ryshkaa dived almost soundlessly into the water.

Toothless muttered and grumbled angrily. Perhaps at least now he could spend some time really familiarizing himself with that main chamber. The warm stone seemed especially inviting after feeling the frigidity wafting off the water's surface. With a hop and a few steps, he was on his way back up the inclined passage toward the main hall.

XXX

Shades are a unique race. While they can be classified as dragons, they behave in significantly different fashions from others of their genus. For example, Shade's are the only species of dragon known to deny their cold blooded nature and make their homes in the frozen north. It is said that a Shade's flame burns hotly and brightly throughout life in a special organ, somewhere in the center of their chest cavity. Supposedly, it is this flame that keeps a Shade warm, even in the near freezing sea, from which they fish much of their livelihood.

Shades are also excellent swimmers. They use their paws and all three pairs of wings to direct their underwater course, making them extremely maneuverable and quick beneath the waves.

The 'inner fire' is important for two purposes beyond warming a Shade's body. First, it provides a second line of defense against all attacks from any creature. Because the flames are so hot and concentrated, they can be formed into explosive masses and shot at high speed towards attackers. Secondly, it is through the energy of this 'fire' that Shades are able to call upon the 'Heart's Fire' which is a power I have not observed in any other dragon species. In these days it is not used in the common life of a typical Shade, as there are very few who remember it.

At the moment, there are only three, myself being one. It is my hope that one day we can one day work together to instruct a younger generation, but for now, I must focus my priorities on the other inhabitants of Home Cave. It is my hope that we can eventually bring about the wonder that Alda envisioned for us.

Heartbeat of the Arctic

Ryshkaa

XXX

Toothless

The view from the hanging ceiling spire was strange. Being so far away from the ground and walls resulted in extremely faint reflections from his echos. He could just barely glimpse the far end, where The Three's alcove stood.

_"You're laying low right?" _Toothless jerked and nearly lost his grip as the voice of Skuru buzzed in his head.

_"I don't think The Three have noticed me if that's what you're asking." _

_ "Oh, good! They would tear your mind apart if they caught wind of your strange human fetish."_

Once again, Toothless nearly lost his grip on the stone. Before his objections had time to burst forth from his mind, Skuru was speaking again.

_"Oh, I know it's not something to do with humans, it's just Hiccup. He's really, really special for some reason. I'm kinda jealous actually. I think I caught a few glimpses of just how tightly your minds are wound around one another. Quite frankly, I wish I could find a mate like that. A life partner. We'd never hide anything." _The little Shade's thoughts started to decrease in volume as they took on the airy tone of the thoughts one thinks to oneself.

It only took a moment for Toothless to start breathing again. His mind raced as the implications of Skuru's statement washed over him. His mind had been shared with all four of Sycle's Wing, and it seemed that he no longer had any secrets he needed to hide from them. While this simplified things, Toothless found tremors of discomfort running through his frame.

For most of his life, he had lived with his mind constantly open, forcibly exposed to the baleful presence of The Queen. The fact that his thoughts had been freely accessible to these four brought pangs of anger that he had not felt since his enslavement.

_"See now, you have it a little crooked. If we just opened our minds to each other all the time, then we would start to overlap, and eventually, none of us would have a personality anymore. That is why the Dream Pool takes place, as the name suggests, during dreams. It is our unconscious minds that interact with each other while we sleep. In this way, we learn about each other on an intimate level, but mostly we don't even realize it." _

Toothless caught a brief flash of four Shades bursting from a hole in the surface of the frozen sea. The largest carried two enormous fish of a breed Toothless had never seen before beneath him.

_ "For example, did you see how your mental barriers did not prevent you from hearing me? On some level, you're heavily familiar with my voice. So familiar that you don't consider me a threat, and let my voice in without even thinking. And in the same way, I know that woe shall come to the fool that places himself between you and your strange mate. I feel that it is so, and yet, I don't have any explicit memories from your mind, see? Here, it's easier if you try it. Concentrate on everything you know about one of us, say... Sycle! Some things that you know might surprise you."_

This was one of the strangest concepts Toothless had ever been confronted with. He found himself leaping on the idea of Sycle. From his encounters with the older Shade, Toothless knew that Sycle was a fierce fighter, and he was accustomed to a position of command, but beyond that, his experience taught him little.

Very suddenly, Toothless found himself assailed by thoughts and ideas that he knew he had not had yesterday.

_Sycle is a hard leader, but fair in all his judgments. Sycle only considers what's best for his Wing. Sycle has the most experience inside Home Cave_,_ excluding The Three and Alda. __**Sycle hates Ito with all his heart, and that hatred is reciprocated.**_

__With a shake of his head, he cleared away the foreign thoughts. It was exactly like Skuru described. Toothless had opinions and thoughts concerning the elder dragon, but he had no memories, or any other reason for thinking the things he did. That last thought had been very clear and it resounded through his mind with the voices of all four of his new companions. Whatever was the cause of Sycle's hatred, it was serious, and probably justified.

At that exact moment, the four dragons in question came pacing through the ice encrusted archway into the hall. Kale walked with his head at an awkward angle, holding two large fish, each about twice the length of his head, high off the ground.

_"You took your time."_

Kale grumbled in his low resonating voice. _"I'd like to see you on your first fishing trip soft-claw. It ought to knock some civility into your tongue. These are not the soft and dumb fish of the south. These are Kahda."_

Now that Toothless really looked at the fish, he saw that they were indeed very strange, and altogether different from anything he'd seen before. The scales were dull and grey, and the tail seemed like that of a normal fish, but the head had some drastically different traits. The jaw of the fish was powerful and muscled, and a large number of needle like teeth protruded from the lower jaw. Above the mouth, five long tendrils of fleshy black material extended over the fish's back and sides.

Kale spat the two corpses onto the cave floor.

_"What are those... things on it's face?"_

Ryshkaa responded as she laid down on one of the stone ledges.

_"They're sensory organs. They trail in the water over the fish's back and on each of it's four quarter sides. They are ridiculously sensitive to shifts in the water around them, and are thus extremely difficult to catch. Now choose one and eat."_

Toothless now realized that the caribou he'd shared with Hiccup had been a long time ago. He tore into the fish with a vigour born of hunger.

_"What about the other fish? Who's that for?"_

Sycle's graveled voice was short and definitive.

_"Alda."_

Toothless did his best to repress it, but his ears pricked, his eyes widened slightly, and his nostrils flared. Hiccup was with Alda. Sycle moved rapidly, and Toothless found a claw against the side of his neck.

_"Listen hear soft claw. Alda told me exactly how dependent you are on that human. He charged me to help with your separation. If you remain dependent on each other, you'll both be at a disadvantage. Both of you will remain separate. For a week at the very least. Understood?" _

Before Toothless could stop himself, his lip curled into a snarl. Sycle gave no warning.

First the elder male's leg curled and shoved into Toothless' gut. With a gasp, the younger male fell to the side. He tried to catch himself, but Sycle's tail swept up under him and threw him onto his side. When he glanced down, he found his wing between the jaws of the elder.

_"You're a little slow on the uptake. You will obey, or I will destroy you. My Wing is my family. If you are to be part of my family, you will attempt to earn my respect. Are we clear?"_

Toothless was frozen. He could feel the humid air rushing over his wing and knew that if Sycle bit down, he'd never fly again. Hiccup would not be able to piece together a new wing.

_"I apologise. I'm not yet accustomed to the company of so many." _Sycle stepped away.

XXX

Skuru

Skuru slid into the Hall of Knowledge with the Kahda dangling from his mouth. He immediately spotted Alda lying curled on the floor. In the middle of the room, he saw the human standing with his hand pressed against the wall. The symbol beneath his hand was glowing violently, flickering occasionally, and a few sparks fell from either side. Hiccup himself was standing with his feet spaced evenly and his other hand gripping the back of his neck. His back was rigid and he barely breathed.

Skuru tore his eyes away from the human, and stepped up to Alda. He extended his left leg and dropped his head. The fish flopped onto the floor as he did.

_"For the last time Skuru, you need not bow to me." _

_ "I respect you. I like to show it." _Alda gave a soft chuckle. Skuru turned and watched the human. He had not moved, but now that Skuru looked closely at him, he saw that the hand that was touching the wall was blackened and smoking. _"I thought that Shades were the only ones who could use the Heart's Fire?"_

_ "Until I met this human, so did I."_

_ "What will happen to Toothless in the coming week? He can't fly without his human."_

Alda jerked. _"Damn it all! I completely overlooked that. Bring Toothless here when training ends, and I'll think of something. Make sure Sycle comes with him. He needs to remain separate."_

Skuru jumped to his feet and brushed his snout along the edge of Alda's folded wing, then hurried away, leaving the human standing, facing the wall, spine rigid and completely motionless.

XXX

Toothless

Ryshkaa's tail felt like stone when it impacted Toothless' face. Before he could reorient, two jabs to the gut left him gasping on the cave floor.

_"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm feeling less as though I'm being taught, and more as though I'm the subject of everyones malevolence." _Sycle was hanging from the one of the ceiling spires and observing everything.

_"You're not reacting fast enough soft claw._" He snorted._ "We'll have to get some muscle on your frame before you can match anyone of us. Run between the two walls of this chamber, and don't stop until I tell you." _

Toothless stood, and stretched his body as far as it would, then took off for the opposite wall. At almost the exact same time, Skuru came sliding into the cavern.

_"Sycle! Alda wants to see you and the newcomer after training. You'll be there to maintain separation."_

_ "Thank you Skuru."_

Whilst Toothless ran, the other Shades of the Wing turned to their own tasks. Ryshkaa proceeded to a cave wall and leapt up to hang from a spire. She then turned and began to scratch a claw against the wall, all the while lowering herself slightly, and pulling herself back up, hanging only from her tail.

Kale shoved his head into a large oblong stone about thrice the size of a Shade's head. After a few moments, it shifted and he began to roll it across the cavern. Sycle dropped from the ceiling and threw a few swipes at Skuru. The smaller Shade leapt backwards and ducked, then shot forwards to throw some swipes back.

After about an hour, Toothless started to feel his muscles burn. Just as he was starting to slow, Sycle spoke a single word.

_"Next"_

Immediately, Ryshkaa leapt down from the ceiling and and made an attacking motion toward Sycle. Skuru started running towards the far end of the wall, and Kale leapt up to the ceiling and started to lift and lower himself by his tail.

Toothless sighed, and stumbled over to the rock, and started trying to shift it.

By the time his turn to spar with Sycle came, he was panting and shaking. He did not even manage to twitch when Sycle's paw flew out and caught him under the jaw. There were a few more strikes, but Toothless was so dizzy he was not sure where they fell. He crashed to the ground.

_"Dear me. We have more work to do than I thought."_

XXX

Toothless maintained a slow, slightly stumbling gait as he followed Sycle through the tunnels.

_"And Alda wants to see me...why?"_

_ "I have absolutely no idea. I would guess that he wishes to resolve the issue of your flight."_

The remainder of the journey passed in silence, but Toothless still took time to notice and observe every single Shade that crossed their path.

Just as they entered the passage that contained the Hall of Knowledge, Toothless felt the immense presence of The Three brush against him. He froze. Small tendrils of thought started to pluck at his mind.

_"Sycle, they're..."_

_ "Shhh!" _Sycle accompanied the thought with a hiss.

A voice that Toothless recognised as Alda's thundered through his head. _"You are interfering with my examination! Leave! Now!" _Before Toothless could say anything, the massive presence faded and shifted away. Alda appeared at the entrance to the Hall.

_"So sorry about that. Please, come in."_

When Toothless entered the hall, the first thing he noticed was the smell of burning flesh. His gaze zeroed immediately on Hiccup. The boy was using a blackened finger on his right hand to trace a shape onto his left forearm. Where the black and flesh met, there was a violently blue glow. Small wisps of smoke rose from the spot. When he pulled his hand away, he turned toward Toothless and smiled. His forearm still glowed slightly.

Toothless felt the empty space in his mind flare, and the ache that it left intensified. With a small whimper, he found his eyes widening and Hiccup bit his lip.

_"As we discussed, Hiccup. I'll be right here to assist if some of them slip your mind."_

Hiccup sprang into action and vaulted over Toothless' back. Before Toothless could so much as move, he felt his tale pinned to the floor, and heat exploded near its tip.

Before he could stop himself, Toothless instinctively reached out for Hiccup, but his thought ran into a solid wall of cold, empty, sorrow. Sycle's mind had enveloped him. With a soft crying sound, he hung his head and withdrew into himself, desperately trying to forget that Hiccup was right behind him.

After a few minutes filled with clicking noises and a few tightenings in the straps of his false tailfin, Hiccup leapt back into view, grinning.

Slowly, Toothless pulled his tail fin around and stared at it. The moving mechanics had been changed. There was now a small rotational piece in the joint, attached to a rod that ran through the skin of his actual fin. He opened the fin experimentally. The motion was transferred through the rotational piece, and the false tailfin opened to the same degree.

Toothless gasped. Hiccup had given him the ability to fly by himself.

_"It won't be a match for a natural fin, but you'll at least be able to get airborne." _After Alda's words, Hiccup darted forward and nipped the base of Toothless' left ear. Lightning jumped through the young Shade as he heard a slight verbal whisper, barely loud enough to be heard.

"Use it well."

XXX

Astrid

With an extremely loud splintering, the tree crashed to the ground. Astrid nodded to the other two, then waved them over. The twins ran up the tree, climbed down through the tangled canopy, and crawled through the opening to their newly disguised shelter.

"We wait for a few days for the dragons to calm down, then we scout, and we figure out exactly what we're dealing with." The Twins nodded in unison. "Excellent. Now get some sleep."


	30. Chapter 30

AN: Ok guys, yes, I know that I'm much later than I should be, but school is getting insane what with the year winding down. Anyway, LEPShot worked his magic in tandem with my own to create this chapter as with those previous so you can be assured it's full of awesome. I'd also like to extend a note of personal thanks to _anhedral _for his extremely in depth review. Keep those reviews coming because it really puts a fire into my writing. Also, as an action of pure whimsical fancy, I have posted a poll about COTN on my profile. I thought it would be fun to see what you readers are thinking. Specifically,** "What feature of Call of the Night's development are you most interested in?"** If you don't like reviewing or commenting, please consider dropping a vote. Anyway, On to the "fun stuff" I promised previously!

Chapter 30

Runes are integral in the use of the Heart's Fire. The humans believe that they are the only species in the world to devise a written language, but the truth is, we were the first. Thousands of years ago, after Shades developed their heightened consciousness, they began to manipulate the energy of their bodies independently of their muscles. They found that when enough energy is concentrated at the outermost edge of the body in any particular location, it arcs and transfers to the nearest solid surface. The energy remains at the exact point of contact on the surface, until it dissipates.

It did not take long for the Shades of old to utilize this newfound ability in the creation of pictures and diagrams to tell their stories and represent their feelings. It was shortly afterward that the true power of this transferred energy was discovered.

_I wish that Alda could have seen these events that I have discovered. This trove of history that lies buried so deep. Without his wisdom, I feel as though I've been cast into a stormy sea, wings locked, and no assistance to help bear the crushing weight of each of the waves that are thrown at me. At least I have Hiccup. _

_ But I'm letting my personal experience get away from me. I must be more careful when I sketch in the future._

Heartbeat of the Arctic

Ryshkaa

XXX

Hiccup

The second wave of loneliness and pain had rolled over him just as he was starting to get excited. With a gasp, his spine buckled and his knees became weak. He sank to the floor and curled in on himself, choking on the sobs that tore at his throat, his body racked with shudders as icy cold washed over him.

It took a long while, and Hiccup's eyes were dry by the time he managed to uncurl himself from the fetal position he'd assumed against the cold. He found that with Toothless gone from his mind, temperature seemed to make a hell of a lot more difference. Alda's wing helped, but Hiccup found that the elderly Shade's heat seemed to be less potent than Toothless'. The older Shade's scales were not glossy and warm like Toothless', and in the soft light if the Runes on the walls, he could see that Alda's color was far lighter than that of his mate.

He realized all of a sudden that he must seem a right pathetic creature, sobbing on the floor and shivering as he was. Alda was an Elder representative of his new race, and one that was accepting of him as well. He should be making a better impression! With an angry jerk he brought all of his far reaching thoughts and emotions back to his conscious mind, even some that had been questing for Toothless' mind without his consent. With the strength of his determination, he bound his thoughts there and shielded them from the prying thoughts of others. Then, with a single spring he was on his feet. Turning towards where Alda sat, he dropped to one knee, and waited for the Shade to speak.

It took nearly fifteen minutes, through which the Shade simply stared at him, eyes roving and nose twitching.

"_You have remarkable mental control. Many of the young Shades I've taught in my day could not center themselves so quickly. And you are even doing a passable job at defence. Such prowess is rare, and often the product of good training. Did Toothless teach you?"_

For a moment, Hiccup considered what he knew. He then thought about what Toothless had taught him.

_"Toothless showed me the basics. And I suppose I just started picking up on the intricacies when I had opportunities to practice."_

The old dragon lifted himself from his place on the floor and began to circle Hiccup with slow, measured steps. All the while, he inhaled deeply and his eyes flicked over every inch of Hiccup's body. After five revolutions, Hiccup started to become slightly impatient. He was just about to ask Alda what he was looking for, when the Shade stopped in front of him sat once again.

"_How old are you, Hiccup?"_

Hiccup was about to respond, when he realized that he wasn't exactly sure about his age. The last time he'd taken note of it had been when he was sixteen. Had his day of birth come yet? He could not be more than seventeen.

"_If you don't mind... um.. Elder?"_

"_You may call me Alda or Elder, or perhaps Moldy Old Lizard if you prefer." _There was a smile in the old dragon's powerful voice.

"_Right, um... Elder, if you don't mind, could I simply grant you access to my memories? It would be significantly easier." _

The old dragon's head tilted slightly to the side.

"_I think, Hiccup, it would be best if you were to tell me your entire story, and better yet - do it out loud. With words."_

Hiccup sank slowly to the floor, crossing his legs on the way. The smooth and glassy surface was cool against his legs.

"And why..." For a moment he coughed and cleared his throat. He'd not spoken at length for a very long time. "..should I do that?"

"_The most common mistake of youthful Shade's is the notion that by simply slinging thoughts and memories at someone, they can be made to understand. We Shades have a language, though I'm sure you don't hear me speaking it. If one avoids actually speaking, and forming their thoughts into words when they communicate, then it is proven that they will slowly lose control of their mental faculties and they will devolve into a lesser being."_

"You're saying that if I don't exercise my speech, I could lose it entirely?"

"_It has happened before, and it's something I'd like to avoid in my first human apprentice."_

Hiccup found his eyes widening.

"I'm to be your apprentice?"

_"If you take up such a post, there is absolutely nothing that The Three or any other Shade that lives here can do to cause you harm."_

"And why is that?"

_"Because I would destroy them."_

Well. He certainly had not been expecting that response.

__Many questions buzzed through Hiccups head, and he had extreme difficulty organising them by importance. He wanted to know both more about Alda, as well as more about this place. More about the Shade's language and why he could not hear it when they spoke, and more about whatever apprenticeship Alda was offering. And all the while, the old Shade sat there and stared with calm and intelligent eyes, as though he were just sitting and waiting for Hiccup's next question.

_"Before you figure out where you want to go with this discussion, first I'll tell you that you will spend your time here in intensive training of both your mind and body. If you are going to live among Shades, then you must possess physical capabilities beyond that of a human. Your mind must have the same degree of power and potency as a Shade. And finally, pending my viewing of your mind, I believe that you are the perfect person to impart my knowledge of Runes to."_

For a moment, Hiccup's questions accelerated and his thoughts began to collide and contradict one another. To stop the madness he simply started talking. And he started at the beginning.

XXX

Unknown

The night was split and the thrumming silence rent by the splintering and smashing sounds that emanated from the pit. All around the tiered shelves, silent dragons lay and watched with dead eyes as tiny explosions sent off tiny shards of some black material. The noise had been going on for more than two hours, but now came a change.

A high pitched cry sounded with such volume that the very stone of the mountain seemed to vibrate with it, resounded from the pit and pried at the dragons' deaf ears.

Then, for a moment that lasted for nearly five seconds, every dragon in the cave rose to their feet as one. Light shined in their eyes, and they looked back and forth at each other, some crooning, others growling. They tried in those five seconds to figure out where they were and what was happening.

But they failed.

After five seconds of silence and confusion, a roar the likes of which had never been heard sounded from the pit. Every dragon in the cave gave choked coughs and fell to their stomachs, the light fading from their eyes and their tails wrapping tightly around their bodies. The second roar was followed by a pillar of flame that shot from the pit and leapt from the mountain's peak far above, creating a bloody glow on the ocean around it. The mountain signalled death.

XXX

Hiccup

By the time Hiccup had finished his description of the events leading up to his departure of Berk, his throat was dry and his legs ached. He had not altered his position for most of the time he'd spoken, and now his body was rebelling. For the entire time, Alda had sat motionless and staring, as though there was nothing in the world he had regard for but Hiccup and his story. This intensity had put Hiccup off slightly, making some of his early speech awkward and filled with unnecessary pauses. However, he found that as the story proceeded, he became more and more comfortable with the sound of his voice.

Finally, when Hiccup had spoken of his somewhat overly dramatic final departure from Berk, Alda made his first interruption, in the form of a short, and bluntly pointed sentence.

_"So you ran away."_

The interruption was so sudden, and Hiccup had been so caught up in his tale, that it brought him up short.

"Um.. Yes, I suppose I did."

_"You threw your first sixteen years of life to the wind and flew off with a smile on your face."_

Hiccup's mouth dropped ever so slightly. There was a soft note of condescension in the old dragon's thoughts, and he found that it stung him like an angry hornet.

"There was nothing for me there!"

Alda rose to his feet with a rustling of scale and he proceeded towards the room's central column with slow and deliberate steps. When he reached it, he sat again and stared at the strange glowing Runes intently, as he had stared at Hiccup before.

_ "The story you have told me contradicts that statement."_

Hiccup was dumbfounded. That story had contained all of his reasons for leaving, and this he expressed to Alda with a slightly annoyed tone.

_"I think, Hiccup, that you have told me enough. I have the story of your journey to this place from Ryshkaa, now I would have your thoughts. In return, my mind will be entirely accessible to you. Do you find this agreeable?"_

The boy only took a single moment to consider. The proposal seemed fair enough.

"It would be an honor."

_"Well then, I'll let you make the first move."_

Hiccup knew that to remain standing would definitely be a bad idea. He walked over to Alda and sat about four feet to the Shade's right, crossing his legs and in general doing his best to make himself comfortable on the stone floor. Then he closed his eyes.

In comparison to his past attempts, this time seemed almost easy. No sooner had his eyes closed and his breathing slowed, then the flat blackness with its twin spheres and pinpricks of light in the distance appeared around him. His eyes immediately snapped to the orb that represented Toothless, but he found that his view of the sphere was hazy and distorted, as if he viewed it through an agitated sheet of water. He also found the round hardness of a third mind close at hand, which he knew had to be Alda's.

_"I'm ready to receive you, but there's something you should know. I know that you jumped between mindspaces during practice with Ryshkaa, but you suffered the ill feelings that most younglings do. All around you are 'exits'. If you try, you can force one of them to become not just an exit, but a doorway."_

Hiccup did not respond, instead turning the words over as many times as he could, trying to imagine the feelings and sensations of such an outcome. He had made the connection subconsciously, but now he seeked to exploit it. He knew that this world was shaped by his thoughts. Indeed, it **was **his thoughts. Thus, controlling it was merely a matter of imagination and concentration.

He focussed on one particular white spec in front of him. He imagined it as nothing more than what it was. A hole. A portal to the outside. Then he pictured another mind, and the space surrounding it. Alda's, to be precise. He imagined that space shifting. He moved it in his mind and positioned it directly outside of his mindspace. With a final thought, he bound the two spaces, conjoining them at a single point.

Before him, the exit that was the object of his focus flashed, and he saw instead a glowing blue spec amidst the white speckled blackness.

_"Hiccup, that is something that no Shade your age could've accomplished. Especially not without specific instruction. I believe you have a natural born talent."_

The boy's position in space jerked a little as the complement washed over him.

_"Thank you, Elder."_

_ "Now, please, do come in."_

The thought of moving had barely crossed Hiccup's mind, when he felt himself accelerate, leaving his insubstantial stomach far behind as he hurtled toward the glow. Excitement coursed through him as he thought about what he might find on the other side. The glow expanded and grew. There was a tremor and a pang of pain at the base of his skull, and the world reformed around him.

It was a mindspace, just like his own that he shared with Toothless, and Ryshkaa's. But those had been the only mindspaces he'd visited. This was something completely different. Whereas his mind and Ryshkaa's were surrounded in white speckled darkness, the space around Alda's mind, was filled with brilliantly glowing light. Alda's mind sat before him, but it was so different, he almost did not recognise it as a mind.

The black sphere was lit with small flashes of light that ranged in color from blue to violet and back again. These flashes of light usually formed in lines that traveled rapidly across the surface before winking out, while others began. But beyond this, the space around Alda's mind was stranger still. Rather than flat and empty space, Alda's mind was surrounded by a veritable forest of symbols. Hiccup recognised many of them from his views of the hall in which their bodies sat, but most were completely alien and unknown to him. All of the Runes, for he assumed that they were what Alda called Runes, were drawn in fiery blue lines that flickered and pulsed as if they possessed life of their own. As Hiccup continued to focus on them, he noticed the lines.

Blue lines thinner than spider silk, so thin that they were in fact nearly invisible, were glowing as they ran amongst the Runes tying one to another, and that other to yet still more. Hiccup found after about a minute of examination that any given line he chose to follow eventually hit a Rune that was larger than the rest. This one large rune had another larger line that led away from it, and straight down to Alda's mind. The overall effect of the pulsing and flickering that surrounded him made Hiccup think of a thunderstorm. When he tried to speak, his voice came out as a tiny whisper.

_"Alda, what __**is **__all of this?"_

A few of the Runes and the lines between them flared brightly and the patterns on the surface of Alda's mind sped slightly.

_"All of this, Hiccup is my total knowledge. Everything I know. There's too much to keep it within my mind, so I bound it to the outside."_

_ "And you did this with these... Runes?"_

_ "That is what I intend to teach you. With some help."_

_ "Help? From whom? Ryshkaa?"_

_ "No, I recommend you go and touch one of the Runes. Any one will do."_

He approached slowly. The light of the symbols pulsed and flickered in seemingly random fashions. Occasionally, a tiny flash of light would pass along the lines connecting them. As he came close to one particular Rune, Hiccup also noticed something that he had not encountered in his previous mental journeys; the Rune was giving off thermal energy. The lack of wind and the total lack of either warm or cold feelings had gone unnoticed, but now, he felt warmth wash against his projected self.

With the wariness of a much smaller creature, he reached forward to pass his hand through the flickering symbol.

_-Air whistled past his head and the clouds were far below him. To his right, he saw a Shade flying through the air, and a voice he'd never heard before reverberated in his head. It was female._

_ "This type of glide path is easy to maintain on long journeys due to the usual assistance of jetstreams, though it is probably not the best idea to use it if your travels must be timely. Mostly, it is designed to take strain off of your lower back and allow your skeleton to take the weight of your lift. If you wish to change your path, you'll need to unlock the bones like so."_

_ There was an extremely loud clicking sound as the bases of the Shade's wings shifted up and backward._

_ "You should not try to change direction whilst flying locked, or you could damage the joints. This condition is called Lockwing and often results in a life of dependency which, in many of our kind, ultimately results in suicide. In short, don't lock your wings unless you intend to keep them locked."-_

There was an upward wrench and Hiccup found himself tumbling toward the edge of Alda's mind. The old dragon was kind enough to stop him from falling completely out of his mindspace. After righting himself, Hiccup asked,_ "Was that a memory? It was very vivid."_

A chuckle resounded around him. _"Yes, it was a memory, though not one of my own. That particular experience came from an old teacher that lived long ago, by name of Faltha. She was very wise in the ways of youth, and was very successful as a tutor of young Shades. Many of my memories come from her."_

_ "How... How is that even possible?"_

_ "It is that which you will learn, but first I must ask if you wish to look around further, or if we might proceed?"_

After briefly attempting to count the number of Runes floating in the space, and giving up after passing three hundred on a single line, he said, _"It would take me years to look through all of this. If it gets me to the learning part any quicker, then please, come in."_

The change happened almost faster than Hiccup could comprehend. In less than an instant, Alda had created another gate using an exit and Hiccup found himself rushing toward it, though this time, a fantasmic image of Alda materialized and flew beside him.

After they'd passed through, Hiccup looked down on his own mind. It looked dark and dull compared to Alda's sparkling brilliance. Not wishing to dally in the empty space, Hiccup swooped down and made for the tiny opening in the massive sphere. In mere moments he had passed the hard exterior and found himself floating amongst the golden clouds of his thoughts. He also realized what he had forgotten in Alda's mindspace. His own consciousness produced a warmth from it's glowing epicenter. There was a rushing sound as Alda entered behind him. The old dragon took a moment to stare at the ragged edges of the opening. It seemed he was thoroughly interested in the nature of the hole.

"_No, I don't know how it got there."_

"_Of course you don't. Before it was here, you were completely ignorant of this place. As well as the thoughts of dragons and others and the power that rests in them." _When the old dragon finally moved away from the opening, he first turned left, then right. Hiccup felt something shift.

All at once the golden clouds started to move and shift from their previously ordered and circular path. All of them started to swirl and rotate, and all moved directly toward Alda.

Hiccup felt his thoughts starting to blur and fragment as they were pulled away from their usual wanderings. Above him, the golden light at the chamber's roof flared, and he found that he could not keep his inner eyes open. He closed them against the blinding glare, only to find that he could still see. His actual eyes felt itchy and dry as they stared out at the pillar in front of him. In the future, he'd try to remember to close them. Unfortunately, he was now far too distracted by whatever it was Alda was doing. There was a brief flashing glance, wherein he saw the clouds rotating around Alda accelerate, before contracting on themselves and focussing into a single brilliant point in front of Alda's face.

And the light disappeared. Hiccup found that he could once again see within himself. The golden clouds rotated lazily around their invisible axis, while tendrils of shadow flowed rapidly in between.**  
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When everything appeared to be absolutely normal once again, Hiccup turned and gasped. Alda was reclining slightly on a cloud, looking directly at Hiccup. In the space before him, a Rune drawn in lines of blue fire floated. It's lines were very simple, with few sharp edges and no points. Hiccup had never seen it before, and yet it felt strangely, intensely familiar.

"_Alda? What... What is that?" _

The amused gurgling of draconic laughter emanated from the Shade's immaterial throat.

"_This? Surely you recognise it? This is you, Hiccup."_

"_Um... me? I'm not exactly sure what you mean."_

Alda pushed his nose forward slightly and its tip brushed against one of the Rune's lines. There was a sharp crackling sound and a burst of golden light. This time, Hiccup shielded his imagined eyes with his arm and thus retained his vision.

As he lowered his arm, Hiccup watched as a small cloud of more Runes expanded upwards from the single point where the first had hovered. All were connected by the incredibly thin lines and each was unique. There were not nearly as many as there had been in Alda's mindspace, but there were still hundreds.

"_Every memory and every thought, every feeling, emotion, sensation, and fantasy. Each is represented by one of these Runes, and this entirety of Runes is represented by the single Rune you saw before. I know this Rune, Hiccup, and thus I know you even better than you know yourself. At least, up until the Rune was created. Everything new is beyond the bounds of this particular Rune."_

Hiccup's brow furrowed.

"_So... wait, all Runes do is represent ideas?"_

Alda chuckled again. _"That's all these can do. They are confined within our minds, and will not be able to affect anything beyond. Runes drawn on physical surfaces, with your actual hands, can do many, many more things indeed."_

Hiccup waited, but the Shade said nothing more, simply staring back at him.

"_Are you going to explain that, or just stare at me?"_

"_How should I know what I need to teach you if you don't ask questions?"_

Questions?! It was questions he wanted? Hiccup imagined a pair of sleeves on his arms, and when they appeared, he rolled them up.

"_Wait! Bombard me, do so in the real world please, your headache is starting to become noticeable."_

That drew Hiccup up. Headache? He didn't feel anything. But before he could speak these thoughts aloud, he found himself being pulled in Alda's iron mental grip, first out of the mind, then straight out through an exit.

Blink. Ouch. His eyes were dry. Very dry. He felt tears flood across his eyelids as his body tried desperately to fix the problem.

"_Right. First of all, Runes affect whatever you draw them on, in the exact way that you intend when you draw them. However, a Rune by itself will just fade from a surface when it exhausts the energy you use to draw it, or when it's task is complete. If you want a Rune to stay and perform it's function continually, you will have to expend an extra amount of energy to Inscribe it; that is, you must place it within a circle. And a circle is a bit harder to draw than you might think. Never, I repeat, NEVER try to create a circle with nothing inside it. It will consume all of your energy and leave you a charred and smoldering husk."_

"STOP!" After a moment of scrubbing and shaking his head, Hiccup managed to clear his vision. Alda was now on his feet, his wings slightly outstretched as he stood at the base of the pillar, staring upwards.

"_You wanted to know about Runes? I'm telling you about Runes. Now, these Runes that are sketched on the pillar and this first level all have to do with the Heart's Fire. Sensing it, manipulating it, and using it to both record and cause change. The next level up," _Alda slapped one paw against the smooth floor, and a massive design lit beneath Hiccup's feet, _"has to do with Shades in general. And by in general, I mean every detail we know of ourselves is here." _Hiccup now realized that a section of floor that formed a ring around the pillar was rising, with both himself and Alda upon it. Out to either side, Hiccup saw that the Hall had levels above the actual floor. Up here, the walls were still lined with Runes, and looking upwards, Hiccup thought that there must be at least one more level.

"_This third level, up here, we will not get into unless you conquer the other two. It contains four Runes of very strange properties, as well as details on very advanced actions you can perform. Now, we'll return to the floor, and get started."_ Slowly, the disk began to sink back towards the floor.

XXX

"_When one is able to feel this connection, this bond with the fire in their veins, then it is a simple matter of commanding it to a certain portion of the body. The claw is the easiest tool with which to sketch a Rune." _Hiccup had been standing and staring at the Shade for what he was sure was three hours. But, no matter how many times he listened to the dry and overly metaphorical lecture, he still was unable to succeed. Alda had said that he had the Heart's Fire, but he seemed completely unable to control it.

He'd spent so long here, he'd started to think of this place as real. Both he and the Shade, who seemed to be in the prime of health despite his lack of motion, sat on a rock outcropping of the enormous mountain above Home Cave. All around them was whited out by a blizzard, but Hiccup could feel the wind tearing at his face. Hiccup was sure that he was going to spend the next year sitting here and listening to the old lump ramble on using metaphors that no one but he himself could understand.

A snapping sound scared Hiccup out of his wits, and he almost leapt from the outcropping before he remembered that Toothless was not here. Turning, he saw Alda sitting with his tail dangling over the edge and a look of slight exasperation on his face.

"_Psyme was never good at explaining to young ones what he meant. Of course, that what made him perfect for the task. By the time a hatchling could understand what he was talking about, they were usually mature enough to handle the responsibility. However, things are becoming difficult, and you need to learn quickly. So tell me, Hiccup, since the very first time you opened your eyes after the ax incident with Astrid, you've felt something. Constantly. Every moment of everyday, what do you feel?"_

There it was. In each little pulse of pain, he could feel waves. Ripples of feeling. This pain was special. This pain was specifically caused by one thing.

Fire. It was fire. There was fire inside of him.

Hiccup stared at his forearm. The veins were evident, and he now saw what had escaped his attention for who knew how long. Rather than the usual faint violet coloring of a vessel, each line was black and seemed to bulge slightly, pushing the overlying skin outwards.

"_I'm only guessing of course, but I think that pain you've been feeling is the Heart's Fire in your blood."_

"Does it burn you?" Hiccup slowly ran a finger over the new ridges that covered his arm.

"_Me? No, I don't feel any such pains."_

"I'm human. That must be it. It feels like fire, but fire just feels warm to a Shade." Before them, Psyme had frozen in place and was not making an attempt to continue his lecture. Probably Alda.

"_You don't notice it anymore. You had to think about it to remember, yes?" _The old Shade stepped forward and ran the tip of his snout across the bulging skin of Hiccup's arm. _"What do you think that means?"_

Hiccup considered for a moment, before responding, "My physical changes are caused by the Fire?"

The old dragon hummed. _"As I said, I can't say for sure, but it seems quite likely to me. But we've stayed here long enough. Now, we need to see if you can control it, now that you know it."_

Hiccup closed his eyes. Then opened them again. White snow still swirled before him but Alda was gone. He cursed, then closed his eyes again, taking a very deep breath and holding it. And as he exhaled, there was a tug at the back of his skull. With an effort of will, Hiccup forced his physical eyes open.

He still stood with shoulders squared and back straight in front of the pillar. His left hand rested against a single symbol and its scaled surface was wreathed in deep blue flames that danced and flickered. With a grunt, he pulled the hand away from the wall. The flame was extinguished, and with it, the pleasant tickling sensation that had accompanied it. Turning, he saw Alda sitting once again on his small section of floor. He had not moved from that spot since Hiccup had begun.

_"This is a simple exercise, and I cannot explain its mechanics. You'll just have to discover the feelings for yourself. Now, come over to me." _When Hiccup stood before his new teacher, the old dragon reached a single forepaw out to the empty floor between them and placed his claw on the smooth surface. With a flash, a glaringly bright concentrated flame appeared around the sharp point. With deft movements, Alda sketched an extremely simple Rune. It was nothing more than a half circle whose lines straightened and crossed. _"I want you to touch this Rune, and tell me what you feel. Not what you think, but what you Feel. Don't involve thoughts at all. Describe what you feel, in a single word." _

Hiccup knelt and placed his palm against the flickering shape. This time, no flame leapt from his blackened hand, but he found that he suddenly felt a profound sense of levity. As though weight had been lifted from his shoulders, or he was suspended in water.

"Flight. It feels like flight."

_"Very close, but flight is powered. It sends the flier in a certain direction and provides him with certain limits. This Rune is known as 'Rise'. It can lift spirits as well as objects when applied to a surface. Now that you know what it's meant to do, focus on that; the Rune's function, and nothing else. The feeling of it! You must have the feeling!" _

And a moment later, Hiccup heard a faint buzzing in his ears, as if he'd just heard a very loud noise. He felt the lifting sensation again, the feeling of 'Rise' coursing briefly through his entire body. The symbol itself floated in front of him for just a moment, a dark and negative afterimage burned into his eye, but after a couple of seconds, it faded. The noise in his ears faded with it, and now that his vision was clear, he looked down to see that the Rune had disappeared. Looking upwards with a questioning expression, he felt his left palm leave the floor and cold rush back over his hand.

_"Now, it's your turn. You know that Rune, now sketch it."_

XXX

Astrid

The cliffs were relaxing. Or rather, they'd used to be. Astrid could remember long summer days spent sitting with her friends, feet dangling over the edge, just staring out at the vast unknown. Now, Astrid knew better. Places where dragons could land were bad places to relax. Places where dragons could see you were even worse.

It was due to this glaringly dangerous fact that Astrid was now sitting where she was, cramped beneath a bush and pressed up against a pine tree.

She did not even know where the Terror was at the moment, as he'd scampered off somewhere upon seeing the Nightmare coming in for a landing. Some vague feelings of hope were managing to blossom in her chest now as she watched it turn its back on her bush and start nosing at some ferns across the clearing. Perhaps it hadn't seen her at all. If it found her, she would be hard pressed to defend herself, travelling as light as she was. She had her hunting knife with her, strapped to her thigh with some leather cord, but that was it.

If she craned her neck far enough, she could just make out the bulk of the dragon, snuffling at the roots of a tree on the opposite side of the clearing. Unfortunately, the Nightmare leapt away to the right, and gave an excited shriek. Astrid tensed. If it had picked up a scent, it was probably her' as much caution as she could muster, she shifted her legs and placed her back against the trunk of the tree and tried to bring the dragon back into view. There was a scraping sound. Astrid froze. The sound had come from her left boot. She held her breath.

A warm and moist current of air wafted past her face, smelling strongly of fish, and dampening her left cheek.

_Do. Not. Make. A. Sound._

The sound of Hiccup's voice startled her so badly, it almost made her scream, but she held her body in check. Then slowly, very slowly, she turned her head to the left.

She was met with two orbs or aquamarine fire, slashed through with gaps of blackness. The eyes floated in darkness, as though she were staring at a living shadow. The moment she made contact with those eyes, a low buzzing sounded in her ears, as if there were a swarm of insects inside her skull. Ice fell from the base of her neck and rushed down through every inch of her body. She could not help it. Shudders convulsed through her limbs and her eyes widened.

_Don't, move._

Astrid found that when confronted with this apparition, her confidence fled and she could not move.

Just as she was surrendering to the knowledge of fast approaching death, the eyes released her, and looked up and past her. It felt as though ice that had frozen her solid melted away instantly. Astrid found herself shivering and quaking, with gooseflesh rippling over every inch of her. Then there came a snort, and the eyes disappeared as a form became airborne. A concussion passed through the ground and a massive dark shape flew over her.

To the right, there was a strangled screech and the sound of flapping wings. Then, the unmistakable sound of tearing dragon flesh, and the shearing shriek of shattered scales. Astrid drew in a single breath. And to her astonishment, a shadow appeared before her dragging with it, the form of a Monstrous Nightmare. The Nightmare trailed a stream of blood from it's ruined throat. The buzzing in her head intensified and now she felt curiosity rise in her.

_Stand up._

As slow as she possibly could, Astrid rose to her feet, pushing through the canopy of leaves and branches above her. The shadow took no notice of her. It dragged its kill to the edge of the cliff, and with a strike of its tail, cast the body into the surf. Then the shadow turned and spread enormous wings from its back, like sails of a ship torn from the night sky. The eyes bored directly into her's.

Before her, on the edge of Berk, stood a Night Fury. But this was not Hiccup's Night Fury. This was not 'Toothless'. The eyes were different, the tail full and whole, and the shape of the body was heavier and bulkier. The throat convulsed and the beast emitted a choking gurgle, a sound which sounded completely unlike the usual temperament of a dragon. Then, with a flap of the massive wings, the beast leaped backwards and disappeared over the lip of the cliff. And as it disappeared, the buzzing went with it.

_I wonder who on Earth that could have been. _

That sound which was not a sound released Astrid's limbs from their positions, and she found herself sprinting through the forest, back towards the tree and the twins. As she went, there was a familiar impact against her right shoulder and she turned to see the Terror's face nuzzling against her neck.

_You realize that he just saved your life? He distracted the Nightmare._

"Shut up, Hiccup."

XXX

Hiccup

The power responded. All he needed to do was will it to, as he did with any muscle of his body. The fire surged through the lines of blood beneath his skin at his command.

Hiccup placed his fingertip against the floor and light flared at the tip. He sent the fire flowing into the floor. He willed it to take the shape he wished, and like a specter in the dark, his hand moved of its own accord. It sketched the image perfectly.

_"Now remember, when you don't have a memory in mind, the rune will perform the actions it describes when energy is channeled into it."_

"Does the Rune only function when I funnel energy into it?"

_"That is a question that I'm glad you poised yourself. Yes, a Rune on an inanimate object depends on energy from whatever activates it. However, you must be cautious. If you place a Rune on yourself, it will draw from you until such time as you cancel it with another Rune, or until there is no energy left. At which point, you're dead."_

"Lovely."

Hiccup rose from his kneeling position. He had drawn about twenty Runes on the floor. They were all very basic, and described actions like, _Go, Stop, Rise, Turn, _and also a special one that Hiccup was greatly interested in. It was _Flame_. "I prefer not to focus on death. I'll ask something else. Can Runes be combined? You say they represent individual ideas and actions, so can they work together to achieve complex actions?" Alda shook his head and snorted.

_"You are a very sharp mind, Hiccup. I will tell you of this, but then we must discuss a matter of great importance. Now, Runes can indeed be combined, and there are two ways to do it. First, if you take all of the ideas and descriptions of a single thing, and the Runes that represent them, you can bind them together and forge from them a single Rune that represents the sum of all those other Runes." _

"That's what you did in my mind. You took my entire being, and created a Rune that represented it."

_"And in doing so, I gained knowledge of your entirety, in a single instant. I must caution you, however, not to attempt this with anything complex, like a living thing, just yet. It is an undertaking of the mind, and I'm not sure you'll be able to achieve it. You must comprehend every aspect of the subject of your Rune, and if you do not include everything, the Rune you create could have... strange effects on you and your mind."_

Hiccup nodded.

"Fair enough. I won't be attempting that then. What about the second method?"

_"If you draw multiple Runes on the same surface, you can bind them together and have them act in sequence, or simultaneously. These Runes must be inscribed inside a circle, along with some other symbols that define when they should act. That is a complex task for another day. You must memorize far more Runes before you need concern yourself with that. But first, onto a matter of importance."_

Alda lifted himself from the floor and stepped slowly over until he stood over Hiccup. _"Toothless is undergoing training as a member of Sycle's Wing, but he cannot be properly trained unless he can fly. We must keep you separate so that you can learn to function on your own. So, we need to modify the prothetic you gave him."_

"The bare minimum the tailfin would need to do is mimic the motion of his healthy fin. There would simply have to be a mechanism in the middle that could transfer motion."

_"Just describe how you want to change the object, and I'll teach you the Runes."_

As Hiccup was about to set to work, something popped unbidden into his head. He voiced it without thought or consideration.

"Alda, I understand that Toothless needs to integrate, so that we can be accepted together, but... why? Why does Home Cave exist at all? Toothless said that Shade's were solitary and it made sense. Then we came here and now theres more than a hundred living in one place?"

_"Come now Hiccup, I've been praising your intelligence this entire time. What could possibly motivate hundreds of Shades to live in relative peace and harmony? What possible common goal would intelligent dragons like us share?"_

Hiccup's eyes widened.

"To kill the Queen."

_ "Lest her expanding power wash over us like a wave on the shore."_

XXX

Zagra

The fire had streamed forth from the nest for over an hour before it finally died down. The rim of the peak glowed with heat and a ring of dragons winged their way in a circle around the mountain.

The events of the past few hours were extremely disturbing. The screams and shrieks from what Zagra could only assume was the Queen had continued for over two hours before the inferno had burst from the nest. With all the activity, Zagra had not dared go near the mountain for the entire night.

Now, everything was quiet.

_I'll have to report this. It can't wait._

With a tilt of her wings. The Shade turned north and started to make her way to the north. Before she had gone even a mile, an immensely heavy impact hit her side, accompanied only by a small breath of air.

With a gasp, Zagra folded her wings and curled in to defend herself from whatever had struck her. A brief flash of intense pain bathed her vision in red, and she felt claws dig into her back. She gave a snarl of rage and twisted to engage her aggressor. The sight that met her gaze caused her to freeze.

Eyes as red and and angry as freshly spilt blood burned themselves into her vision. She caught a flash of razored claws, and she felt the pressure that her left wing normally placed on her back, disappeared.

There was no pain, but as the strange creature pushed her away, she felt herself fall through the air, completely uncontrolled. Then, all around her was fire. But it was not normal fire in shades of orange and blue; this fire was scarlet, and instead of dancing over her scales, Zagra felt it licking and digging, reaching toward her flesh. And all at once, scales began to break away.

"_What it the name of the spirits __**is **__that thing?"_

That thought was the last thing to flicker in Zagra's mind before she hit the spire.

There was a sickening crunch.


	31. Chapter 31

AN: Ha! Bet I got all of you reeling. That's right, an update within eight days and 10K to boot. Me and LEPShot had fun with this one, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did writing it. I'd really appreciate some feedback with your thoughts about this particular chapter and its contents. The poll is still open for those who'd like to respond. Also, another huge thank you to _anhedral _for his magnificent feedback on 30. Happy reading!

Chapter 31

Toothless

The water was icy. Tendrils of cold played over scales that insulated and protected from the crushing temperature. Within his scale armor, Toothless' flesh was warm and rested. He knew that this would be the time when his Wing truly started to judge him. Now, he was going out into the world under his own power for the first time since Hiccup had shot him down. He counted slowly to ten in his head, then felt it; a rush of warm water that pushed against his underside, and opening his wings wide, he caught the current and shot forward.

The mind's of Sycle and Skuru in front of him acted as glowing beacons in the darkness. Behind him, he sensed Ryshkaa and Kale following closely. Then, the water changed again. The current died, and the icy temperature once more battered his scales. He saw Sycle turn upwards ahead of him, and he immediately turned his tail fin and opened it half-way. With a beat of his wings and an undulation of his core, he shot upwards toward the surface.

Sycle had insisted on taking a half hour that morning to run through Toothless' skills in swimming. Unfortunately, Toothless had barely ever touched the water whilst he was with the Hive, and after he met Hiccup, he'd only ever snatched fish away from the surface. The entire Wing had dived into his mind and started reliving their experiences of underwater flight, for where Shades were concerned, that's exactly what it was. Each of the three wing pairs had a function, and his legs and midriff had to move in very precise manners.

The onslaught of insight was rather like sticking his head into a waterfall and attempting to perceive each drop of water as it impacted him and continued on its way. Toothless had thought the task was impossible, until Sycle had whispered in his head.

"_We're not trying to teach you to swim. We're trying to make swimming a part of your thoughts. The idea is that you won't panic and drown when you first leap in. You will only truly learn with practice."_

So, Toothless had waited through the shower of memory, and now that he was in the water, he found that bits and pieces of his newly gained knowledge slowly surfaced as they became relevant, and with them, he managed to direct his course.

One of the first things he noticed, however, was that the false tailfin that Hiccup had modified, while clever, and certainly an improvement if Hiccup were not with him, was limited. Because it could only open and close to the same degree as its twin, complex maneuvers that could simplify flight were beyond him. He found that as he rose to the surface and tried to steer, his movements and their corresponding results in his course were sluggish and rather clumsy. He felt misgivings begin to bubble in his chest. Would he even be able to fly with this thing?

His negative thoughts were cut off as he broke the water's surface and felt air rush into his nostrils, while the old air in his lungs was expelled through his mouth. Ahead of him, he glimpsed Sycle and Skuru clambering out of the water and onto a large chunk of ice that was floating a few meters away. In a few minutes, the entire Wing, Toothless included, was assembled on the slightly rocking white mass.

_"Ryshkaa, Skuru. You're turn to catch breakfast. We need to see if that contraption is actually going to work."_

Only then did Toothless remember that the Wing was privy to his misgivings. Now that he was paying attention, he felt that Ryshkaa was slightly disappointed at being sent off, as she'd wanted to see his attempt at flight in person, and Skuru was just thinking about food. His stomach was empty and he was eager to fill it.

With a tensing and release in their legs and a sharp downward flap, both Skuru and Ryshkaa shot off the ice island almost horizontally, sending water misting out to either side. After about thirty seconds of gliding, they both disappeared below the water's surface.

"_Alright, now then..." _Without saying another word Sycle fell to thinking, with ideas and plans whipping through his mind so fast that Toothless was left ignorant.

Kale's deep, resonant thoughts interrupted. _"He is new to flight in the North, Sycle. We should carry him to altitude, then let him test the fin, before we teach him particulars of ice and water flight."_

Sycle turned his head, acknowledging the younger male's words, then after a moment of consideration, he nodded. Kale turned without another sound and leapt off the ice just as Ryshkaa and Skuru had, but instead of gliding, he pumped his wings and quickly gained altitude.

_"Alright Toothless, this is going to be a trust exercise as much as anything else. When Kale circles around, he's going to fly low over the water. I want you to jump as high as you can in the air and gain as much altitude as you can, then close your wings and let Kale catch you."_

Toothless considered the actions that had just been described. It seemed like a very strange and slightly unnecessary way to take off.

_"And why am I doing this exactly?"_

Sycle snorted, slightly annoyed. _"You haven't flown over this water before. There are certain pitfalls that could befall you and we don't want to damage your... prosthetic with your inexperience. Also, partner flying is a practiced exercise among the Wings, so you might as well get used to it. Now get ready, here he comes." _Without looking up, Toothless looked through Kale's eyes and saw the ice island fast approaching.

The island wasn't very wide at all; Toothless could cross it in three bounds. As he saw the island rushing up in Kale's vision, that's exactly what he did. With two jumps he was at the far edge, and with the third he propelled himself into the air. Kale drew closer. Toothless pumped his wings thrice, folding them just in time for Kale's muscular limbs to wrap around him beneath his forelegs and in front of his hindlegs. Then Kale grunted, and shoved downwards with his wings.

Toothless felt enormous amounts of muscle working at his back. This Shade truly was formidable in physical standing. He was even more powerful than Toothless had originally given him credit for. With only slightly labored breathing, he lifted another Shade along with himself into the air as Hiccup might lift a snowball.

"_Your choice of mate is slightly less unusual now that I hear these thoughts." _Ryshkaa's voice was quiet and saturated with barely contained laughter. Skuru snickered.

_"Shut up, the both of you."_ Kale rumbled. _"You're going to make him uncomfortable." _

Very rapidly, so rapidly that Toothless was optimistic that they might be missed, a set of images ran through his head. Images of Kale. He then shook his head violently and snarled at Ryshkaa.

_ "I __**will **__hurt you."_

Ryshkaa burst out laughing within her head, even as she sank her teeth into the heavily muscled side of a Kahda.

Sycle, who'd followed them into the air growled quietly at both of them, but he left it at that. After all, lighthearted banter is a healthy part of any family.

Kale was putting his mammoth strength to good use. Toothless saw that the sea had dropped far below them and now the clouds were started to rush past. Only then, as he considered the sky above, did Toothless realize that his first flight on his own in so many weeks would take place beneath the billions of jewels that graced the night sky.

Kale did not bother to warn him. He simply let go. For about five seconds, Toothless fell with wings folded and eyes focused on the sky above him. With a deep breath, his thoughts turned to Hiccup, and he desperately wished that his mate was here to see this. A single drop of moisture escaped his right eye. Then, with a challenging snarl, he threw his wings open and denied gravity its wish.

It was just as he'd feared; as he attempted to turn and correct his course so that he was flying level towards the mountain, the response was slow and arthritic, like that of an elder. Certainly, he could stay aloft and fly in a straight line, but to make any sort of deviation ment wasting precious time.

He felt Ryshkaa's thoughts brush warmly across his, as though trying to comfort.

A single tear escaped from his left eye.

XXX

Hiccup

_This hall was built as a tribute to the mighty race known as Shades. Here, we stored all of the knowledge that we could. We left no detail of our race or our history out. The first room contains the knowledge, while the second contains the history. The second chamber is for the use of Elders, and those under their supervision. If you wish to gain access to history, you must first master the present. With both present and past at your command, the future is but a slate for you to write freely upon._

The voice was disembodied. No teacher with aged body and air of command stood before him. In fact, there was nothing at all - just a hollow voice echoing through endless darkness. When Hiccup was sure that nothing would follow, he pulled his hand away from the pillar, extinguishing the flames that had wreathed his limb moments before. The scales that covered his left hand and a good portion of his left and right forearms tingled as the fire dissipated.

The boy turned to Alda, who sat reclined against the pillar. They both stood on the elevating disc which was raised high above the floor.

"That was a very strange Rune." In fact, the symbol itself was strange beyond what it contained. It occupied a section of the wall all by itself with no other Runes around it, in the dead center of the pillar's length between floor and ceiling.

"_Indeed it is. I have yet to discover if it possesses any deeper meaning, and I have yet been unable to locate this 'second chamber'." _

"Wait, haven't you been here for... a long time?"

"_A few centuries, give or take."_

"And you can't find it? I thought you knew everything about this place. I saw all the Runes in your head."

"_Funny you should say that. Not all of this chamber's knowledge is contained in my aged and battered head, youngling. But that is a topic for another time. For now, we must move on, and continue memorization."_

Slowly, the _Rise _Rune that had glowed softly on the disc's surface faded, and Hiccup and Alda began a slow descent to the floor. Hiccup immediately fell to his knees, while Alda started sketching on the floor. One by one, Hiccup touched, felt, and learned each Rune, storing their shape and warmth in his mind for future reference.

_Ice, Soft, Water, Hard. _As each Rune flowed past, Hiccup found that while he was focused on the task at hand, his thoughts were wandering as they had yesterday. Searching and combing for Toothless' mind. Desperate to feel the slightest touch of his mate. But, as before, Alda kept all of his thoughts sealed within the confines of the Hall, unable to range beyond and interact. _Earth, Sand, Glass, Shape._

Hiccup realized something - he'd spent the entirety of the previous night and most of this one learning of Shade behavior and the ways in which they interacted. What he'd discovered was that most of the interaction a Shade normally ever has with others of his kind, mostly involved violent confrontations and establishments of rank. When one Shade contested with another, they fought until one submitted and became deferential to his superior. Hiccup could not help but think, _I am, completely defenseless. Certainly, I have Toothless, but he's only just learning to fight as well. _Hiccup could not interact with other Shade's properly if he could not fight them.

"_Come now. You're certainly not completely defenseless. You could put any Shade to sleep with a brush of your fingers."_

"Maybe so," Hiccup responded, slightly embarrassed to discover that he'd been broadcasting his worries, "but such a victory would gain me no standing. No respect. Other's must know that I'm capable of physically harming them." This he knew. He'd seen it in the memories of his teachers.

Alda stared down at him for a moment. Then sighed.

"_You're not going to be able to concentrate tonight on anything else, are you?"_

"My guess would be a solid 'no'."

Alda heaved a sigh, then turned and made his slow and arthritic way over to one of the far outer walls of the hall, signalling with his tail for Hiccup to follow. When they reached the wall, Hiccup was confronted with rows of unfamiliar symbols that he had not yet perused. Alda stopped and and drew two new Runes on the floor, one that looked like a ring twisted in upon itself with a curving line branching away from one side, and another that was simply a straight horizontal line with an upward sweep on the left, and a series of dashes above and below. Hiccup touched, felt, and learned each of them in turn - _Allow, _and _Shift._

Hiccup looked curiously up at Alda, but the old Shade was not looking at him. The dragon stared sadly at his own left forepaw, and after a moment, it burst into violet flame.

Entranced, Hiccup watched Alda place the paw against the wall, and his interest intensified when all of the Runes that covered the wall shifted away from the dragon's flaming touch.

Once the Runes had cleared a small space around Alda's paw, he pulled it away and extended one claw. He quickly sketched the twisted ring of _Allow _into the wall and then stepped away.

As Hiccup watched, he saw a soft golden light appear in the darkness beyond the tiers of seemingly floating symbols. This light had no source. It was simply there to illuminate two identical objects that were floating in empty space.

"_Go."_

Hiccup felt very confused, but he trusted his mentor. He stepped forward and watched as the Runes shifted again and formed an empty rectangle of space about the size of a door. Hiccup stretched out his hands and stepped forward. Where his hands should have met the cold, hard, smooth black surface of the wall, they touched nothing but empty air. At first, he had taken the golden light and the floating objects to be an image on the surface of the black smooth stone that surrounded him, but as he walked forward, he found that it must be something physical, floating in the distance.

When he stretched his hands out to either side, they brushed against the cold, hard, frictionless surface of the walls, that now seemed to have formed a corridor. Before he could think of anything else, he was standing before the light. And the floating objects.

Two shining, black blades hung suspended with the golden light shimmering and reflecting off of their luminescent surfaces. There were no handles. These blades seemed to be fashioned as part of something else, without which they were incomplete. One was about the length between his elbow and wrist, while the other was shorter, about two thirds of it's companion.

Hiccup lifted a hand, and carefully grasped one between his thumb and forefinger, holding the flat of the blade. As soon as he touched it, there was a brief flicker of light and the blade dropped from its suspension, held between Hiccup's fingers. He took the other as well, then as he turned back the way he'd come, the golden light faded to darkness.

Looking back, the Hall was defined by the lines upon lines of Runes that ran along its invisible walls. It was very disturbing to see Alda standing in that confirmed space, while he was outside, standing in blackness that was infinitely black and extended infinitely in all directions.

When he passed the wall of Runes, he turned and watched them flow together, and it was as if the opening had never existed.

"Alda, what are these?" His voice was quiet and slightly reverent. The blades were wrapped in a veil of intense cold, and their flawless, pitch surface held his gaze. They almost blended with the floor below in the places that they extended over his palms.

"_These are two Weh blades. They were once part of a Shade's paw weapon. The idea was to create synthetic claws that were longer, sharper and more deadly than natural claws. The blades were set in a brace that fit over the Shades paw. I've never seen an actual Weh intact before. These blades are all that are left."_

"Wait, when were these, _Weh_ used?"

"_You will use the _Shape _Rune to make the blades usable, and then you shall have a weapon that you can use against foes."_

"Alda? When were they used?"

Alda sighed.

"_The Weh are from a long-dead time. Many centuries ago. If you have the patience, you'll learn all about it in a few weeks."_

"Please?" That one word was barely audible, but in the silent hall formed of knowledge, it echoed like an earthquake.

"_They were used in the Silver Age. When Shades roamed the earth and were unafraid of each other. When they traded knowledge like family and learning abounded. The Weh are from the time, when young heads became frightened, and our race was destroyed."_

XXX

Astrid

The next day, after calming down at least a little, Astrid told the Twins about her experience. Ruffnut stood watch in the boughs of the tree above, while Tuffnut sharpened a fallen branch into a spear with his knife, and Astrid stood between them, at the center of the tangle of branches.

"Wait, how could you tell that it wasn't Hiccup's dragon?" Ruffnut posed this question, demonstrating her greater share of the intelligence split between the two.

"The shape and frame were completely different. It was either a different age, or perhaps a different gender. Or both."

"So why aren't we hunting?" That, of course, was Tuffnut. Displaying his lesser portion of intelligence. His sister snapped down at him without taking her eyes off the trees and rocks around them.

"Duh, because its a Night Fury, and Hiccup is the only one that's ever gotten close to one without dying. Of course, he probably seduced it, but..."

"Shut up. I swear to the gods, shut, Up."

_Well, she's kind of right you know. _Astrid squeezed her eyes shut and thought as hard as she could, so hard, in fact, that her temple started to ache.

_That 'shut up' was just as much for __**you **__as it was for them._

_Look at you! Aren't you cute. You __**can **__actually think. Bravo._

Astrid snarled under her breath. The Terror sitting on her shoulder raised it's head from it's nap against her neck and gave a yawn. Astrid leaned as far from its dragon breath as she could; the rotting fish smell was a little too pungent for her. When the little beast finally closed its mouth, she poked it in the chest with her finger. The tiny dragon gave a small 'hic' sound and then jumped onto her head.

Out of the corner of her eye, Astrid saw Tuffnut staring at her with a slightly disgusted look on his face, tapping the sharpened stake against his shin.

"I've already made this clear, Tuff. The pint-sized lizard is off limits. No beheading, eviscerating, or impaling. Unless of course you'd like me to behead, eviscerate, or impale, you."

Tuff jumped, then forcefully rearranged his features.

The Terror jumped back to Astrid's shoulder, and without even realizing what she was doing, her hand lifted and rubbed down the Terror's length. The creature emitted a small and high pitched peep that sounded extremely content.

The peep was cut off, however, by a much deeper, resonant sound. A pulsing hum that came from above and away on the other side of the clearing.

Her gaze was met by those same aquamarine pools, slashed with darkness. When she looked closer, she could make out the outline of the dragon. It was sitting in a tree across the clearing, just staring down at her. The Terror on her shoulder curled into a tiny ball and almost fell, but once again, without thinking about it, Astrid lifted a hand and steadied it. The Night Fury's head tilted to the side slightly, and another, louder hum pulsed in its throat. There was a loud curse from Tuff, too loud in Astrid's opinion, and he leapt to his feet. Above, Ruff gasped and pulled her knife from her belt.

_I don't know about you, but I think that is one of the most attractive creatures I've ever seen._

_Hiccup, I swear. If you say anything that disturbing again, I will kill myself. And take you with me._

_Jeez, I miss the times back when you weren't this dramatic._

"Both of you, stay absolutely still. I doubt you could put a scratch on it if you wasted the limbs to try."

The Terror was now wrapping itself around her neck, and hiding as much as possible behind her hair. She could feel the quivering and twitching that she was sure was, to use a pun, pure terror.

Astrid dropped from her place in the branches to the trunk of the toppled tree. She then proceeded to walk slowly forward toward the dragon.

_Weapons. Throw down your weapons._

Astrid did not argue this time. She removed her knives and tossed her sword after them beside the tree. The Night Fury hummed again, and silently, as if it truly were a shadow, it dropped to the ground before her.

When she reached the severed stump of the tree's base, she stepped down and stopped. She never shifted out of a position where she was ready to dodge or otherwise move.

About twenty feet separated her from the Night Fury, but just before Astrid was about to speak, the Terror suddenly slackened its hold on her neck and fell to the ground. It landed and ran skittering to the Night Fury, and came sliding to a stop about a foot in front of it. There, the Terror stopped and became rigid, staring up at the dragon's face.

The wide, spade shaped face tilted as it looked down at the Terror, and Astrid could have sworn that there was something in the eyes that spoke of amusement. The Terror twitched once. A shuddering jolt that passed from the tip of its tail to its snout, then it leapt, bumped it's nose against the Night Fury's and turned. It ran all the way back, up Astrid's leg, and settled once again on her shoulder, though it was far more relaxed than it had been a moment before. It crooned and pushed itself against Astrid's throat, nuzzling up under her chin.

A warm, tingling feeling ran from Astrid's chin down to her toes.

A snort came from the Night Fury, followed by a long, drawn out thrumming hum that resonated in Astrid's chest. Then, so quickly that she had to take a moment to figure out what happened, the Fury bounded past her, up the length of the tree trunk and sent Ruffnut flying with a sweep of it's tail. She gave a brief yell, and tumbled downwards, landing on her brother, who grunted and both teens subsided into a kicking, punching, biting, snarling dust cloud. The Night Fury however simply found a spot in the branches, wrapped it's wings about itself and moved no more.

Before she could contain it, Astrid burst out laughing.

XXX

Toothless

Toothless ducked. The paw flew over his head, but the snow and wind that followed managed to strike him in the eye, and he jerked back without exploiting the opening the Ryshkaa left after her strike. She had time to reset, and she struck again, this time from the other side. Instead of ducking away, Toothless caught the paw and batted it aside with his own.

Without even pausing, Ryshkaa turned and whipped Toothless across the face with her tail. A sharp jab under the chin and another to the side of the head and Toothless found himself sprawled out in the snow. When he opened his eyes and world ceased spinning, Ryshkaa's upside down head loomed over him, with a smiling crinkle to the eyes.

_"Well doesn't this look familiar. Though I think I might have been in your place. Now get up. We need to get you in shape for the season." _Toothless rolled with the aid of his wings and got back on his feet. _"You're looking at this in far too static a manner. You need to stop thinking so much about your own body. There are two bodies involved. There could be more in a real fight. The movements I make are part of the..." _She paused and searched through some of the Toothless' thoughts relating to humans, _"...dance that we're doing. React only when necessary and take every advantage." _

Toothless took a deep breath, then stretched his neck and tail as far as they physically could. There was a satisfying crack, and Toothless shifted into a ready position. Sycle's Wing all stood at the edge of the great ice shelf, with Skuru, Kale and Sycle all fighting each other, and Ryshkaa giving Toothless personal instruction.

Ryshkaa did not wait to attack as she usually did, instead leaping and opening her wings, making herself momentarily appear much bigger than she was. She beat her wings once and a flurry of snow lifted from the ground, but Toothless had been expecting it. He released a jet of flame from his maw and melted every fleck before him in the air.

Toothless darted forward, aiming a paw jab at her stomach. As she came back down onto all fours, she swiped the jab away and sent her wide open jaw flying forward. Rather than duck as many would, he reared back and and made another swipe at her face. Ryshkaa took his extended paw in her mouth, twisting her neck in such a way as to force the male to walk right up to her chest in order to retain his leg, and Toothless could feel her mental smirk as she grabbed his neck in her forelegs and brought him down with a yank. One of his paws being caught in her mouth, Toothless had no way of keeping his balance, and the icy ground met his snout with some force.

"_Yield."_ She commanded, grabbing the base of his right wing between her teeth. She had stepped over his prone body, her chest over the spot where Hiccup's saddle would rest. When Toothless tried slowly moving a paw to one of her forelegs' pressure points, she applied enough pressure with her jaws to make him whine slightly. _"Yield." _The repeated word held no gloating triumph or even consternation; it was merely a simple, inevitable statement.

Just as he was about to submit and give this spar up, Toothless noticed something about Ryshkaa's stance; her hind left paw was dangerously close to the edge of the ledge they were atop, and her tail was swishing back and forth in a rhythmic fashion. With the female's mouth on his right wing, she would have a very unclear view of his left.

Toothless gave another high-pitched whine, broadcasting thoughts of pain to the dominant Shade above him. He tried lightly shifting his trapped wing, signalling that Ryshkaa was biting down a little too hard, and she seemed to get the point, as her jaw relaxed slightly a second later.

"_In a real fight, doing something like showing pain would only make them clamp down on you har-AH!"_ In the middle of her thoughts, when she was slightly preoccupied, Toothless had shot his left foreleg out and struck Ryshkaa's paw, sending it over the edge and making her stumble. He moved with her as she slid back towards the cliff face very quickly, knowing she would instinctively try to use his wing to steady herself, and as her tail whipped down towards the rocky slope to try and grab something in case she fell, the male slammed his paw down on it, making her yelp and release his wing.

Toothless pushed himself upwards as hard as he could, catching the smaller Shade in the stomach with his back and flipping her mid-air, sending her sprawling into the snow on her back. While she was down, he tried to get at a wing, as she had, but the female Shade had already put her guard up, using her hind legs to kick out and slash at him while she occasionally shot flames to deter him. After a minute of dancing around her, trying to find an opening, Toothless borrowed a move she had used twice this match and sent a flurry of snow into the air with his wings.

Under the screen of the white flakes, Toothless darted to the right, trying to get on Ryshkaa's side, where she would have the most difficulty fending him off from. Melting the snow with another blast of flames, Toothless immediately pounced forward, but his jaws, which should have found Ryshkaa's flesh, found nothing but air.

The male Shade didn't even have time to reopen his mouth before Ryshkaa dropped from the sky onto his back, and she didn't waste time with a wing after getting him on his stomach.

_"If you don't say 'yield' right now, you're losing these."_ She snarled, grabbing two of his ear plates between her front teeth and biting hard enough to almost break the scales. It didn't really matter what she did with any of her limbs now that she had established this position; even though Toothless could overpower her, any movement on his part would cost him vital limbs that kept him in the air during flight.

He snorted, sending puffs of snow into the air in front of him. "_I yield."_

At the exact moment the thoughts left his mind, piercing whistles sounded from the south and Toothless whipped around to gaze into the night sky. Among the stars, weaving between the patches of light and darkness, were many silhouettes of diving Shades. Toothless counted at least twenty before the shrieks cut off and they started to land on the shelf one after another in a wide scattering.

In total, Toothless counted twenty one Shades, and as they grouped themselves into their Wing's and Toothless could hear faint whispers, as though the other Shade's conversations were not quite concealed from him.

Then he saw Ito. His Wing had landed closest to Sycle's, and the battle-scarred quintet arranged themselves into a line with Ito at the center, starting their slow advance toward Sycle's Wing.

Immediately, Sycle pulled his mind in, and he found himself standing together with Skuru, Kale and Ryshkaa, as they had also formed a line and threw up mental defenses that certainly mirrored Ito's. Now, Toothless got his first clear look at Ito.

The bulky Shade looked to be about Sycle's age now that Toothless could see him clearly. Milky-white scars of discolored scale crisscrossed his hide and the prominently absent section of his left ear. The ragged edge was laced with more milky scar scales.

All four of Ito's companions were bedecked in similar scars, though none were actually missing body parts. They stood with backs arched and wings half unfolded. Toothless found his own spine curving, but he did his best to control his wings, keeping them furled tight. Both Sycle and Ito were standing in positions so relaxed that Toothless would have believed them totally unconcerned if he were not privy to Sycle's mood. The show of aloofness was a facade on both parts.

_"A friendly sparring match. How nice." _The voice was perfectly amiable and didn't seem the least bit threatening, but the thoughts that swirled around Toothless' mind seemed to pick out an undercurrent of hostility that he could not sense on his own. _"How fares the Newcomer? Perhaps we could join you and make this a little more... interesting."_

Toothless was aware of the attention of the others. Though they pretended otherwise, the members of the three other Wings were all focussed on the confrontation playing out.

To his intense surprise, rather than responding with anger, Sycle's Wing remained completely silent. Instead, Ryshkaa stepped forward into the space between the two parties, and just like that, Myza, Zonni, Pyke, and Crawn extended their teeth and snarled in tandem. Toothless saw Ito take an involuntary step back, and his wings rose ever so slightly, an angry twitch passing across his snout.

"_Really now, Ito? You want to join us in a match? Surely you can't mean that. After all, __**I'm **__still a part of this Wing, am I not? You don't want to be anywhere near me."_

For a full minute, absolute silence reigned. No one moved, and breathing was light and shallow.

Then Ito turned and faced him directly, and Toothless heard words that echoed with a strange pang of unhappiness.

_"Rumor has it that your human has a mating scar. Quite frankly, I find that possibility disgusting. If I find that you have indeed bound that creature to yourself, then I shall act to set the world's order back in place. Train well, Newcomer. You only have a few days left until the season."_

As one, Ito's wing turned and bounded together over the edge of the shelf.

Sycle's Wing all relaxed in a great huff as their minds slowly separated and they became distinct entities again, dropping their combined mental shields. Toothless stared at Ryshkaa, and without considering whatever social strictures of The Three that he was violating, he spoke privately to her.

_"Alright, you are going to explain what just happened, right now, or I'm making a straight path to the Hall of Knowledge."_

After a silent pause, a flurry of thoughts passed between Ryshkaa, Sycle, and Skuru at speed that defied Toothless' attempts to hear them. After a brief moment, Sycle nodded. Ryshkaa turned, and the only words she spoke were, _"Follow." _She leaped over the shelf edge with Skuru close on her tail.

XXX

Hiccup

The idea was simple enough; hold an image of the end result in your mind, and let the _Shape _Rune mold the material. Unfortunately, Hiccup had never made a knife before from one seamless piece of metal. It was always multiple pieces that were folded and melded together amid the heat of a forge and the hammer of steel.

He sat on the floor and stared at the two black needles. He'd need a secure hold, and it would have to be smooth enough to switch between hands easily. Other than that, he supposed the handles could look like... whatever. So, with the hopes of a simple plan and a decent amount of determination, he lifted the first blade, the shorter one. He closed the end that was not pointed in the fingers of his right hand, and with his left finger, he called upon his Fire.

As he pressed the finger against the blade, blue light flared to life and he carefully sketched _Shape _into the blade's center. This was not as easy as it could have been, given that the blade was only about a finger width and a half wide. Once the Rune was complete, however, Hiccup felt a jarring, pulling sensation in his chest, as though his heart was being tugged sharply backwards.

The blade in his hand began to shift and writhe. The upper pointed end remained still, while the half which Hiccup held in his hand began to mold and flow around his fingers. He kept a loose but firm grip; the same way he would casually hold any knife. After but a moment, the blade became still and the Rune faded.

Hiccup held his handiwork up to the glow of the Runes on the wall behind him and admired the result. The new handle had indents that were perfect places for his fingers to rest, but shallow enough to allow for free and easy handling. The top of the handle broadened and widened to form a small sort of guard between his hand and the object engaged with the blade, while the bottom tapered and sharpened into a point with a slightly curled protrusion near its tip.

As he registered the changes and was about to smile, a dull ache washed over his chest and he found himself breathing deeply and sweating. It felt as though Ryshkaa had jabbed him in the ribs. With a gasp, he doubled over and curled in on himself, dropping the blade beside him.

_"Well. It would seem as though you do have a capacity. I don't think you've used so strenuous a Rune yet, have you?"_

Hiccup's response came out in gasps.

"And exactly... What... Caused... The high cost?

_"Stars above Hiccup, you just used your power to reform metal without exerting physical force. Of course it's strenuous! And the longer blade might take even more energy." _

After a few minutes, Hiccup was able to sit up again, though he still breathed heavily. Despite his weakened state, he was able to fire off a question.

"Can I increase the amount of Heart's Fire my body produces?"

"_In this, the heart is like any other muscle. Force it to produce, and it will alter to become more efficient in its production. In short, yes, the more energy you expend the more powerful your heart will become, and the more fire it will produce."_

Hiccup was slowly regaining his breath, and he posed yet another question.

"How much of the Heart's Fire does your body produce?"

Alda stared at him for a moment, then a choking and gurgling laugh bubbled it's way out of the Shade's throat.

"_Are you asking for a demonstration, _hatchling_?!" _The old dragon's chuckles were infectious, and Hiccup found himself smiling.

"If its not too much to ask, _elder_."

Alda grunted and reared back onto his hind legs and for the first time since Hiccup had met him, spreading his wings wide with a snap. On the underside, of the slightly sagging wings glowing _Rise _Runes flickered and pulsed. Runes that Hiccup did not yet recognise spread over the scales of Alda's sides and stomach as he rose into the air. A blast of wind smacked into Hiccup's face and he was tossed onto his back, and just as Hiccup thought the show was over, enormous tongues of violet flame ignited along Alda's tail and consumed his entire body, creating an extremely bright silhouette of the old Shade and illuminating the shining floor beneath him.

"_Theatrics, mostly, though I will tell you that I'm in no way fatigued. I have plenty of energy remaining in my blood."_

Hiccup swore quietly under his breath. As he did, Alda closed his flaming wings and dropped back to the floor. As he hit it, Runes that Hiccup had yet not been able to see flickered to life on the reflective surface, and nine pillars, all the same size as the central column, began to rise, forming a ring around the central spire. The stone protrusions were enormous, and certainly it would have taken hundreds of humans merely to shift one. Alda lifted nine from their resting places in the floor with a single paw.

"Alright! Alright! I get it! I won't be making an enemy of you any time soon!"

The flames that wreathed Alda's body vanished in a rush of air. Alda walked back over to Hiccup and lay on his side, and the boy turned and reclined against the old scales of his teacher's stomach.

"Why weren't those Runes visible on your stomach or the floor? That's the first time I've seen that." His return to questions so soon after the powerful display drew an amused hiss of steam from Alda.

"_When tied on the same surface to the proper concealing Rune, you can make invisible those symbols that are not active. For now, shape your second handle. I will assist."_

Hiccup picked up the longer blade from it's place on the floor, holding it loosely at the base in his left hand. He took the image of a slightly ridged handle in his head, and sketched _Shape_. There was a tap on his head, and out of the corner of his eye, Hiccup glimpsed Alda curling over him. A blossom of heat centered at the tip and spread downwards through his body.

The blade swiftly began to remake itself and Hiccup felt the pull in his chest as his Fire was consumed through his left hand. When the shaping was completed, Hiccup collapsed again, falling against Alda and breathing heavily.

"Some... help... you were."

_ "Without that little burst of energy you would not have completed the handle. You would have run out of energy."_

Hiccup looked down and started. He'd created the second handle upside down. When held in his closed hand, the blade pointed downwards and the tip had been changed; the edge on the side of his knuckles flared at the tip and created a greater slicing edge.

"I'm not exactly sure if this was supposed to turn out like this. I've never seen a knife like this."

_"Hold them! Stand up! Give them a wave!" _

Hiccup tried to stand, but his knees were shaking. He put a hand on Alda's side for support, and waited until the Shaking stopped. _"Kale will be here with breakfast soon. You'll feel better when you've eaten."_

Hiccup stood away from Alda, and once he was sure he wasn't going to fall over, he lifted both knives, with the one in his left facing downwards and the shorter in his right facing up. The left blade had it's sharper edge with the flared tip facing away from him, so he passed it in front of him as though there were an enemy. With the right blade he stabbed and slashed to the right, before turning back to Alda.

"I feel ridiculous."

_"Well, I won't deny that you look slightly ridiculous. Have you ever even fought anything? Or anyone? Ever?"_

"I'm much better with words."

_"Well, keep the blades with you, I suppose. You'll need to find someone to tutor you in their use."_

The only person Hiccup could think of that he knew could fight with only knives was Astrid.

"I doubt I'll find one of anyone anytime soon, giving that I'm living in a large tunnel network in a mountain.

_"True, but keep them with you all the same."_

_ "_How? You wouldn't happen to have sheaths or anything?"

After a moment, Alda said, _"I have a better idea."_

XXX

Astrid

_You know, I never would have thought you'd come this far in so little time, Astrid._

Astrid rolled her eyes and absentmindedly stroked the Terror's neck. It thrummed into her throat. The tickling sensation almost caused her to smile, but she kept her mouth still. She sat against the hill, next to the den that she'd taken as a base of sorts with the Twins, though the two teenagers were at this time standing on the opposite sides of the clearing, alternating their stares between Astrid with her scaly companion on her shoulder, and the Night Fury now reclined in the tree above her, looking for all the world like a cat, eyeing them with it's sea colored eyes.

"You two realize that the cover from attack is over here, yes?" She heard that gurgling sound from the Night Fury again. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn it was laughter.

"Well I don't know if **you've **realized, Astrid, but there is a rather large dragon sitting in a tree, DIRECTLY ABOVE YOUR HEAD!"

Astrid used her left hand to massage her temples and took a deep breath, eyes closed. The Night Fury had not moved anywhere in the past few hours and she had no reason to believe that it was going to in the time to come. What she had noticed, however, was that it had taken its position, directly where Ruffnut had been keeping watch before. After a few brief words from 'Hiccup' she had decided to treat it as an ally until it proved to be a threat. It could have killed them all if that were its intention.

Wait. What if it was simply bringing the entire hive down on them?! It could be setting itself as a beacon to bring every other dragon around directly to them!

_It's been here for over three hours. If it were bringing others here, it sure is taking a while. Especially for creatures with wings. Not only that, but it's killed two dragons that were trying to get at you already._

Astrid relaxed slightly at these words, but her brow furrowed. Two dragons? She'd only see it kill the Nightmare.

_Don't you smell that?_

And after a few deep intakes of breath she did catch a scent. A faint smell of decay and death.

"I'm getting tired of you telling me what I smell and feel before I realize it."

_Not my fault you're slow._

She rose to her feet, bringing an annoyed buzz from the Terror's throat, and a grunt from the Night Fury that she was certain was questioning. She wove her way out of the tree branches and across the clearing, pushing past the twins, her Terror hissing at them on the way passed making Tuff jerk back and put up his hands.

"Hush."

The dragon immediately curled in and wrapped it's tail about her neck and pushed up under her chin, falling silent. This time, Astrid could not stop herself from smiling. The little beast was slightly adorable if she allowed it to be.

After only a few paces into the woods, she found the source of the smell, and she gasped. A Nadder lay in a pool of drying blood, a puncture in it's throat and deep gashes across its face. She turned and marched her way back to the tree, once again past the twins, and this time the Terror remained silent.

"Hey you!" And she could sense the concerned stares of the twins behind her. Understandable, given that she was talking to the Night Fury. "Did you kill that Nadder?" To her surprise, and the Twin's shock, the black dragon replied with a snort and the flick of an ear. "Well then you'd better get rid of it! That stench will act like a beacon!"

For a moment, there was silence. Then, the dragon gave a huff and leapt down to the ground, walked straight past Astrid and bumped her on its way. A moment later the trees were lit with fire, and a rushing sound came from the place where the Nadder had lay. Astrid kept walking to her place beneath the tree and sat down beneath it, lifting a hand to coax the Terror into a relaxed position on her lap. Then she looked up at the twins, their mouths hanging open.

"You two should sleep. Morning's not far off and I'll take this watch with our 'friends'."

Without a word, the twins jogged past her and into the den. As the did, the light in the trees faded, and the Night Fury came back into view, grunting once at Astrid, before leaping back to its place in the tree.

While the black dragon settled itself back in, Astrid lowered her voice to a murmur that the twins would not hear.

"You've been strangely quiet. You usually comment with gusto on events like that."

_Perhaps I'm just waiting to see what happens. Much like our new friend. _And the voice was silent once more.

Astrid sighed and settled in for the night, feeling the warmth of the Terror in her arms.

XXX

Toothless

To his surprise, Ryshkaa began to climb directly after takeoff. She pumped her wings powerfully and shot upwards towards the sky. Slowly, painfully, Toothless angled to follow. As they rose, more and more of the sea became visible until Toothless was able to make out the distant ice shore, glimmering in the light of the stars.

_"Ryshkaa? Why isn't the sea frozen near Home Cave? Winter is setting in, is it not?"_

The female had attained the height she desired, and turned, beginning to circle.

_"The mountain sits directly on a place of upheaval. The earth below the sea emits heat and the inside of the mountain is warm. Alda tells me that Shades in the past tunneled down to below the mountain's base once. They found an inferno of molten earth and poisonous gas. Some of the party died, and the tunnel was destroyed."_

Hiccup would love to hear about this, but it held little interest for Toothless. He stored the information away so that he could tell his mate about it when they were together again.

_"You know, Toothless, you're just about the most adorable fully grown Shade I know of."_

_ "Shut up Skuru." _It was Ryshkaa that snapped at him. _"I'm allowing you to come along, so don't get on my nerves."_

_ "You couldn't stop me if you tried."_

Amused by the conversation, but eager to get to wherever it was they were going, Toothless interrupted before they could spiral into argument. _"You know, you haven't even told me where it is we're going."_

Skuru answered him in a laughing and unstable voice. _"That's because it's a secret!"_

Ryshkaa angled in towards the Ice Shelf and swatted Skuru across the face with her tail as she did.

"_Both of you males shut up. This is going to be difficult enough without your antics." _To Toothless' surprise, Skuru obeyed. He settled into place behind Ryshkaa and became silent and solemn of thought. So Toothless followed his lead, falling both into line and silent speculation.

_Where could we possibly be going? I asked Ryshkaa so explain what happened and this was her response. Perhaps they're taking me to a place where something of importance happened? Something to do with Ito?_

But no; he had asked more about why Ito had fled when he did. The scarred dragon had turned and retreated only when Ryshkaa had asserted herself. Before then, it was like she had not even been acknowledged. And now, Toothless remembered all the Shade's that they had passed in the tunnels - they had ignored Ryshkaa completely, as if she weren't there. Those that were in her way had scurried to remove themselves, as if they didn't want her to touch them.

_Why in the world would a community of Shades treat one of their own as if she didn't exist? They looked at me, though they were wary. They treated me as I might treat any unknown creature I met, but Ryshkaa has been here for a long time, right? Why would they treat her so?_

"_Because ,Toothless, it is the only way they know how to act in my presence. You think of yourself as an unknown, but others' views of you pale in comparison to the enigma I present. I believe that you don't notice, because I was the first of your kind that you met after your years of isolation. But take a moment, and truly look at me."_

Toothless focussed his attention. He felt her mind and he took note of its movements and its thinking. He saw nothing that the Dream Pool hadn't revealed to him before, so he took a look at Skuru's mind. Once again, he saw nothing of interest or differing thoughts or shape. Now, he took both minds, set them in his own mental gaze side by side, and immediately gave a sharp intake of breath.

Skuru's mind was still just as he'd expect; a bright and decently sized collection of thoughts, feelings, memories and all other things that a mind should contain. They drifted together, with the conscious thoughts moving more quickly and taking precedence over the darker and less pertinent thoughts below. It looked like a Shade's mind.

Now, Toothless considered Ryshkaa and her strange... otherness. There wasn't a way to describe it. Ryshkaa's mind was a dark, boiling mass. He could see a layer of bright and conscious thought, just like Skuru, but underneath it, there was a strange, rapidly shifting landscape of darkness. Toothless could not access the thoughts and feelings therein, but it was no fault of Ryshkaa's. She passively watched as Toothless threw his mental weight into the dark mass, but it rebuffed him, as though it were nothing more than a solid wall.

"_Ryshkaa, what __**is **__all of that?"_

Ryshkaa gave a heavy mental sigh. _"I'm afraid that in order for me to tell you about it, we must reach a certain place. Just bear with me and I shall explain."_

As they proceeded on, Toothless continued to ponder.

_We're traveling inland, and a pretty fair distance at that. What could possibly be out here that Ryshkaa would want to talk about? _Toothless tried to imagine what about Ryshkaa was unknown. He knew that she was a student of Alda, and he knew that Alda was an old and wise Shade that was responsible for forming this... community of Shades. He knew that she could use the power that so entranced Hiccup and she had left his mate to be taught by the old dragon. He also knew that there was history between her and Skuru despite their constant squabbling. In fact, perhaps the squabbling was a sign of affection. Skuru had been the first Shade to ever show her kindness and before him...

Now this was strange. His knowledge of Ryshkaa's past stopped there. Beyond the memory of Skuru finding her, and bringing her to Home Cave, there was nothing but a great dark...

_A great dark mass of unknown thoughts. It was Ryshkaa's thoughts that had been removed and separate from the Dream Pool that day. And yesterday as well. So why are her thoughts untouchable? Why is she so strange?_

"_You have discovered much on your own, and quickly as well, Toothless. It will ease the story I suppose, not having to point it all out to you. But once again, I tell you that we can only address the story once we get to where we're going."_

As it turned out, there was only about twenty more minutes of waiting, as Hiccup would judge it. Ryshkaa went down for a landing, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. On all sides there was nothing but rolling snow drifts and slight wisps of motion as the wind blew loose powder over the desolate landscape from drift to drift, rather like sea spray amongst waves.

Toothless cast into Skuru's mind to see if the other male knew where they were or what this meant, but he found the other Shade's thoughts barred against him.

Ryshkaa wasted no time and stepped over to a seemingly untouched patch of snow, releasing stream of flame from her open mouth. Slowly, the snow liquified and formed water, which was immediately turned to steam. In this way, she bored a hole downwards through the snow at least three feet. Then, she stepped back.

Timidly, Toothless stepped to the steaming hole. Down at the bottom of the snow pit, he could make out an angular shape shrouded in darkness. At once, Ryshkaa reached a claw down into the hole and made contact with the shape. The resulting light allowed Toothless to see a slab of black stone, shiny and reflective just like the floor of Alda's hall. It was shaped into a box and stood on its end so that the smaller faces were set in the snow, and protruding into the air.

The Rune at it's top glowed unwaveringly, casting light out of the hole in a beam that shot into the sky. Toothless tried to follow it upwards, but eventually, the beam became lost among the stars.

"_Let me tell you a story, Toothless." _And before he could say anything, Ryshkaa's mind enveloped his own.

_-Toothless found himself floating above the sea of snow, and the lack of landmarks made it impossible to distinguish this place from wherever he'd been before, but now, Ryshkaa floated beside him. _

"_Shades are one of the most mentally developed species on the planet. They have formed communication that transcends language, and they are masters of their environment. But there is another species that lives here in the frozen north; a four legged mammal, lacking wings. Unlike Shades, they live social lives with others of their kind in broad and extensive families, and while they may not be able to fly, they are rulers of the ice."_

_Toothless saw now many dark shapes bounding through the snow sea. Before he could even ask, the vision dropped him and Ryshkaa toward the ground and he got a full look up close as they moved with the creatures. _

_The mammals were sleek and contoured, with strongly built frames made for endurance while remaining fluid and supple, all the better for bounding through the snow. Their ears and snouts were pointed and as they ran, their breath misted out before them in heavy clouds. Most had white coats, but here and there were those that were spotted with black or brown in seemingly random places. At the head ran the largest of the group, with an extremely distinctive black stripe running over his head, between his ears and down his back. _

_After a quick count, Toothless decided that there were about twenty five in all, five of which were obviously young and new to life. Their run had more of a rolling gait that spoke of an urge to stop and roll through the snow. _

"_The Astral Wolves had little to do with Shades and their kind. The two species rarely crossed paths. The dragons kept to their sea homes and ate their fish, while the Wolves hunted anything that walked on land. Unfortunately, this particular pack was affected by the hardships faced by some of the dragons, when a particularly cold winter froze the sea surface and barred the dragons from the bounty beneath. Shades were forced to hunt land creatures, and one Shade in particular killed a wolf named Iceflow and fed from his body, taking the rest for his gravid mate." _

_The scene below shifted subtly, and now night fell over the snow. A lone wolf ran across the surface, oblivious to the dark shape above it. The shape dropped and in a matter of moments, with no sound but the scuffing of snow, the wolf lay dead, and crimson blood darkened the otherwise pristine landscape._

_Now that Toothless saw the wolf beside one of his own kind, he saw that the wolf was nearly as large as the Shade, if a few inches shorter. This comparison of size could not extend to the tail; while standing side by side, the tail's base would rest in the same place, the Shade's was nearly the length of its own body, while the wolf's was a mere foot and a half. _

_The Shade devoured a small portion of the kill, and then let a long, whistling wail rise from its throat into the air. After a few minutes, a female landed beside him with a strangely tender care in its step. The female ate the rest of the kill, leaving only red snow behind when the two took off into the night._

"_Iceflow's pack was furious. Never before had a Shade taken the life of a fellow sentient being. After much discussion and debate the alpha, Blackstone, decided that the pair were to be hunted. And quite a hunt it was. It took a month of searching before the pack found traces of Shade scent, for a winged creature can range wide, But the Shade they found was very old and could not possibly be one of the pair. But the next scent they gained, was the correct one._

"_The pack pinpointed the den when a lone mind, one completely unformed and juvenile, cast its way into the world. The entire pack felt her. After a small time of organization and distribution of the pack around the spot, they all began to dig. The pups, of course, were taken away, but one adolescent female had just recently grown into her prime and gained her name. She participated in the assault. Her blood was hot, and she yearned to prove herself a true wolf."_

_Toothless saw it all. The dark shapes ranged around a single point, all digging to ensure the Shade below would not burst out and fly away. As he watched, the snow at the center erupted and a female Shade burst forth. One by one each of the wolves leapt at her. She deflected some with her paws, burnt others, and one she actually managed to catch with her teeth. That wolf lost it's leg. But there were so many, she simply could not avoid all of them. But she did not fly away. For reasons unknown, she stayed and took the full force of their assault. Eventually, the teeth and claws began to leave marks. Not long after, the snow grew dark with blood._

"_When the Shade finally started to flag, the young female was dissatisfied. Her role in bringing the prey down had not been prominent. So, she dug into the den, and when she scented other creatures, she followed the train into a small tunnel."_

_Toothless watched the small wolf disappear into the snow. The scene shifted slightly. A tiny Shade sat on a hill staring off toward the fight. Before Toothless could even think, the young shewolf burst from the snow and caught the little one around the neck. The Shade had time for a brief, piercing shriek before her neck snapped. And with that snap, the wolf froze. _

"_In the brief moment before the hatchling died, its mind surged out and bonded to the wolf. She felt it when the little life between her jaws was extinguished. A hatchling, something so young it had not had a chance to live, and yet, it was not prey. It thought for itself and it knew that it was dying. It's terror had been so potent that the shewolf was submerged in torrents of unthinkable grief." _

_The wolf below dropped the hatchling and threw back her head, letting a howl ring forth into the sky as she lamented her deed. Toothless felt a dropping sensation in his stomach. He turned to Ryshkaa in horror, but the other Shade had eyes only for the scene below._

"_Allow me to fill you in on something else important. Like the Shades, the wolves have the power to reshape the world around them. But this power is not bound by a language like the Shades' Runes; their power is instinctual. If the need is dire, then their innermost selves will respond and reshape the world as a paw reshapes fresh snow. And in that moment, the shewolf wished for nothing more than to trade her life for that of the hatchling she'd killed._

"_But life is a permanent thing. Once it is gone, it cannot be recreated in exactly the same way as before. Instead, the shewolf caused a very different alteration."_

_Below, Toothless was met with a sight that shocked him. From around the wolf's paws, indigo flames sprang and enveloped the mammal. Still howling, the shewolf was consumed by fire and at it's peak, the fire continued upwards and eventually formed a column of blue light that shot into the night, losing itself amongst the stars.-_

Toothless shook his head violently, breaking free from the strange images and opened his eyes. He did so, because he felt heat beating against his physical body. The sight that met him was strange in that he seemed to still be seeing the vision. A column of blue light, shifting and flickering as flames at its base, was firing into the night sky. Then Ryshkaa's voice sounded again.

"_The shewolf adopted a new body and forswore her newly acquired name, believing that she had shamed it with her crime. She adopted a new name, the name of the hatchling she'd killed, having learned it from her insight prior to the death._

The flames and light abruptly vanished. Where Ryshkaa had stood, a tall, white wolf with a glistening coat and gleaming fangs stood, gazing at Toothless with unimaginably sad, golden eyes.

"_She became..."_

The name escaped from Toothless before he could stop it, along with a stream of moisture from his eye.

"_Ryshkaa."_


	32. Chapter 32

Ho- ly- nuggets. This took way longer than I wanted it to. Rest assured that LEPShot and I worked tirelessly these past weeks to get this chapter done as quickly as possible, but the truth of the matter is, it was a damned difficult chapter to write. But here it is! In all its 14K glory. Please enjoy and leave some feedback! PM's are fine, and I'll stop bothering you now.

P.S. Interest poll is still open.

Enjoy!

Chapter 32

Toothless

The wind howled in the ears of five Shades as they rode high above the ice. Far below, the frozen northern lands were laid out before them; a rolling expanse of empty white, interrupted infrequently here and there by a jagged protrusion of rock or ice.

Sycle's Wing flew in a spade formation; Kale at the point, Sycle and Ryshkaa on either side in the second tier, and Skuru with Toothless following in the final positions. Toothless flew on Sycle's side.

Kale made a minor adjustment to his path, and the other four changed with him in almost perfect synchronicity, shifting their course back toward Home Cave. Toothless' adjustment was slightly late due to the drag of the prosthetic, but Kale did his best to make each movement slow. They had scouted to the south, and Toothless had once again gotten to see the semi-permanent settlement of humans called Rakar, where Hiccup had stolen his cold gear.

The past week had been difficult, certainly, and uncomfortable in almost every aspect, but Toothless found that his bodyquickly shifted to the new tasks placed before it. He had gained the required muscle to keep pace with the rest of the wing, and his fat reserves had burned so that he was now toned to near peak condition.

_What will Hiccup say?_

Sycle had told him that they'd see each other before Hiccup was presented to The Three as an intelligent being. That was sure to be a stressful experience. With any luck they'd simply accept the fact and move on, but Toothless had an itching feeling that they would somehow take issue. The past week had taught him that the Three's only concern was the integrity of Home Cave.

To try to forget the coming night and relax, Toothless directed his full attention to the landscape below them. He found that it was easy for him to slip into a frame of mind where this giant and empty expanse seemed almost comforting. Like home.

Home. Toothless had not really considered the concept very much. After Hiccup had freed him, the forest had been his home, and now that he was no longer there, he'd immediately adopted the next available place, Home Cave. But was this truly Home? Or just another point in a list of locations that he and Hiccup would jump between until death? And then there was the matter of the Queen. If her growth was not checked, she would expand control beyond the oceans and eliminate any place he and Hiccup might one day call Home.

For a single moment, Toothless craved the comforting mental touch of his mother. Just one brush with a presence that was far beyond himself and would take care of everything. With a jerk, he saw once again before his eyes, the female Shade shaking from side to side, sending droplets of blood into the snow like rain. His wings twitched slightly, and he found himself wobbling out of formation. Immediately, Skuru dropped down, enquiring after Toothless' health and the status of his prosthetic. Toothless repelled the questions with a lash of his mind and snarled low and long.

A warning thought came from Sycle, and the older Shade gave a short, sharp chirp. This noise was familiar to Toothless after spending a week in the older dragon's company. It was the "shut up and fall in" signal. The individual did not matter when the Wing was active. Toothless pumped his wings and brought himself back up into formation, shoving the image of his dying mother from his mind. For just a moment, a thought from Ryshkaa brushed across his own mind. The pain in that thought was enough to make Toothless pause.

How was he supposed to react? He knew the pain that Ryshkaa felt every single day, and yet it was impossible to forgive her for her actions. Brief flashes of memory lanced across his mind, blurring his vision.

_A white wolf sat, immobile and vulnerable, rushing towards him. Bitter fur between his teeth._

With a shake of his head he dashed the memory from his mind. He could not hate her. He could not forgive.

Toothless pondered this conundrum as the great Ice Shelf came into view. As Kale began to slant into a dive, the spade shifted, bringing each side together behind Kale. Ryshkaa meshed behind Skuru and in front of Toothless while Sycle moved into the rear. As a single line, the four dropped from the sky with Kale opening his lateral slits in a very precise way, producing the note that the Home Cave sentry could recognize. One by one they disappeared through the concealed opening.

As his sound waves traced over the contours of the ice ahead, Toothless dropped after Ryshkaa into what she referred to as the Atrium. Quickly, the five Shades dropped to the floor and stood in a ring. Sycle spoke.

"_Excellent job following Kale, you three. Ryshkaa, you still break your downward sweep too early and it's making your path slightly erratic, focus on that tomorrow. Skuru, I want you sleeping tonight with your tail away from the fire. I'm pretty sure that fused spot on the fin is a burn and your climbing is shaky. Toothless, keep practicing with your prosthetic. I want you flying perfectly in tandem with everyone else as of yesterday."_

Toothless snorted. Hiccup would be with him soon, and then the prosthetic would not matter.

"_Alright, you three, off to bed. Toothless come with me. Your wait is over."_

The nervous twitch that had stayed stuck in the tip of Toothless' tail spasmed violently, and the young Shade found himself swinging his tail from side to side. As they started down the Home Cave passage, every one of his steps was accompanied by shudders and a small whine rising from the back of his throat.

There was a small brush, as if Sycle had intended to speak, but then decided against it, and both began to lope down the passage and up through the massive main cavern.

The shelf was just coming into sight when a strange presence touched Toothless mind. At first, he recoiled and attempted to fight against it, but then Hiccup's voice spoke in his head... except, it didn't sound quite like Hiccup. The voice was fuller, with a slightly lower pitch than it had had before, and a hushed hissing whisper that sounded constantly in the background, saying things that Toothless could not quite make out.

"_My love." _

Toothless broke into a sprint.

XXX

Astrid

It was quite strange; rather than staying in the woods and keeping their distance, the swarm of dragons had shifted and taken up residence in the ruins of Berk. Astrid could see them all now, most lazing about in the sun, and quite a number seemed to be sleeping. The wind kept her safe, blowing her scent out to sea to the west.

Astrid shifted slightly, letting blood flow into the small sections of her feet that had been neglected and cut off by her stationary posture.

Above her, on a tree branch, the Terror napped, breathing silently after Astrid had walloped it over the head for snoring.

_Our friends seem to be enjoying the afternoon. _

Astrid glanced over her shoulder. The Night Fury had followed them and was now hanging from a tree, seemingly also snoozing. Something, however, made Astrid think that the black dragon was not asleep; a niggling somewhere in the back of her mind, some instinct that she could not help but trust. That sly devil was watching everything. It was always watching everything.

At the foot of a tree, some fifty yards away from the Fury, sat the twins. Ruffnut watched for movement in the swarm, while Tuffnut flicked his untrusting gaze continually between the Fury and the Terror.

_Well, actually, I was referring to the swarm. But yes, our party is doing just fine as well. _

Astrid had taken to mouthing her responses to 'Hiccup's' snarky remarks. It made for far less awkward situations, and the voice always responded as if she'd spoken.

"Well at least someone is. Those creatures out there are not friends to anyone, not even each other. We've seen them tear each other apart for no more than a scrap of meat or preferred resting place."

_Pfff. Please. You just described Vikings with perfect clarity. And we haven't seen any of them. _

"If I pretend not to hear you, you'd only gabble more. Am I right?"

_Sounds about right, yeah. _

Astrid sighed and hesitantly dropped down to sit with her back to a tree.

"What the hell am I supposed to do? We can't drop another mountain on them, we'd never get them all. There's nowhere near enough of us to attack them in any way, and conditions in that hall are probably becoming vile. We need to get them out. On top of everything, the dragons are sleeping in shifts! Half are awake during the day, and the other half watch at night! It's damn impossible!"

_Well there's always the 'Hop on Night Fury's back and fly away, leaving the damned to their fate' plan. I was smart enough to do that. _

"Well **you** are a coward and a traitor. I could care less what you've done."

_If that's the case, why am I still bothering you after I'm gone?_

That was a pretty good question. As she thought it, an extremely quiet gurgling sound emanated from the black dragon behind her, as if there were liquid in its throat. When she looked, the Fury still had its wings around itself like an enormous bat, obscuring its face.

_I, of course, have no idea, but I would hazard to guess that he's laughing at you. _

"Well I'm comforted by the fact that you don't know anymore than I do. He could be clearing his throat, or maybe gurgling just makes him happy."

The gurgle sounded again, along with quiet chuckles on the part of 'Hiccup'.

"I hate you both."

XXX

Hiccup

Hiccup did his best to maintain control of his air. The muscles in his legs and core cried out in protest as he balanced, one leg extended to the side and bent at a right angle, the other planted on the floor. It was his left leg that he stood upon, and his left arm was extended out, parallel with the floor. His other arm was crooked at the elbow and curled against his chest, hand open. In the center of his palm, a tiny flame danced and flickered, bright and orange.

For the most part, he was balanced. The energy creating the fire was a steady drain that was not difficult to sustain. The Binding Runes that held the Weh blades to the outside of his left bicep and the central side of his waist on his right consumed no more energy than it would have taken for Hiccup to hold the blades in his hands. It was his muscles that were having difficulty maintaining steady balance.

_"Now close your eyes."_

"You have **got** to be kidding me."

_"Did I sound amused?"_

"I'll fall on my face!"

_"That would be amusing, I suppose. Regardless, close them."_

Hiccup did as he was told. At once, his leg began to quiver and he felt himself beginning to rock slightly.

_"Stop that! The earth has not moved, so you should not either! Do not rely on your sight to orient your body. Use __**all **__of the tools available to you."_

Hiccup paused and considered what his teacher might have meant. First, he tried to use the position of Alda's mind as a reference, but that only gave him a sense of lateral direction; he could not tell the exact direction of gravity from that.

Then, he smiled. Touch. The feeling of gravity. Hiccup focused on the burn in his arm, and in particular, the direction in which it was trying to fall.

Slowly, his body steadied and he became still once more, not letting the flame in his palm so much as flicker.

_"Very good. Very good indeed. Now, if you will, show me all of the different parts of each of a Shade's three wings and give examples of maneuvers that use them."_

Hiccup's lower lip twitched.

He started with the primary wing, focusing on the image and setting it in his mind, then pushing it toward Alda. He then began to spit out each and every way he knew of in which the wing could be altered to produce different forms of flight. He'd learned much in the past week, and there was much to tell.

Once again, his leg began to shake as his attention was divided. That same divided attention also rocked the flame in his palm as the energy the Rune was using became erratic, and it flared brightly before flickering out. Hiccup cursed quietly and attempted to relight it, but now his legs were shaking again. At the same time, the model of the wing in his mind extended and incorporated shoulders, chest, and eventually the head and face of Toothless.

Before Hiccup could stop it, the model had formed itself into a replica of his mate which focussed primarily on such features as the musculature of the neck and chest, as well as the long, lean frame.

"_For heaven's sake, child, you'll see him in an hour or so! Don't go shoving his image into my head."_

It was the final push. Hiccup fell to his knees and threw down his palms to catch himself. Instead of sprawling onto his stomach, Hiccup tensed his forearms and vaulted, flipping his legs over his head and landing on his feet.

"_Denying me the pleasure of seeing you fall on your face? What a truly mean spirited boy you are."_

"It seems that I have. But I object to your labeling me as mean spirited."

"_I suppose you're right, or rather, you're no worse than others I have known. Now try again. Don't bother with the pose this time. You need practice with multitasking."_

Hiccup sat down and crossed his legs, cupping his hands in his lap with the right palm facing upwards. Hiccup took a deep breath, and as he released it, he pushed. The energy in his blood raced downwards into his arm and the Rune lit first with a brilliant blue glow, followed swiftly by a tongue of flame.

The boy closed his eyes. Slowly, the primary wing of a Shade took form in his thoughts and he gently pushed it towards Alda, maintaining the steady stream of energy into his palm.

"_The primary wing is the main source of a Shade's lift. It acts as the focal point for the upward force that counteracts gravity. Altering this wing alone can produce alterations in flight, but it relies on the other two sets of wings to balance and smooth each alteration."_

And now Hiccup constructed the second wing set at an accurate distance from the first.

"_The second wing set alters airflow past the torso. The air which normally would become turbulent is instead channeled by this set of wings and sent down the tail to the fins."_

The tailfins took shape now, an accurate distance behind the second wing set. For a moment the flame in his palm flickered, but it wasn't more than a few seconds before it quieted and became steady.

_ "The tail fins' primary function is to act as a manipulation point for the rear half of the Shade's body. Alterations to the fins alter the facing of the tail, and by extension, the Shade. This twisting and rudder manipulation, in tandem with movements from the primary wings, create smooth, sloping turns, dives, and climbs."_

Hiccup briefly opened his eyes. Alda sat before him with his slightly sagging wings just brushing the floor, heavily favoring his left side. The old dragon was gazing at Hiccup intently, and the boy rapidly closed his eyes again.

Before he could stop it, his thoughts began to alter his wing models. First a tail rushed upwards from the fins, connecting with a set of rear hips at the second wing set, and the rest of the body followed. Eventually the head took shape and Hiccup now held a model of Alda in his head.

But this was not Alda as he sat on the floor now; this was a young Alda, a powerfully built male Shade in the prime of his life. Shimmering scales and bulging muscle, accented by deadly claws and teeth.

_"Flattery will get you into the best of places, except when the target has no delusions of grandeur."_

"Apologies, Elder. I'll try again."

_"Hiccup, you could repeat this exercise all night if you wanted to, but I think that won't stop you from filling in details. You have a very curious and precise mind. It seems that you simply can't stop at wings, but must create an entire Shade. It's just the way you think."_

Hiccup allowed the flame to die in his palm.

"And besides, you may not look it now, but I'm sure you were a very handsome, masculine hatchling for most of your adolescence.

A gurgling guffaw emanated from the Shade's throat.

"_Any one of my siblings would probably eviscerate you for that."_

The boy's body tensed and he leaned forward eagerly.

"You have siblings?!"

Alda's right hind leg seemed to spasm and the old dragon let out a snarl as he fell slightly closer to the floor. Hiccup was halfway to his feet before his mentor shook his head.

"_Don't mind me, Hiccup. This body is very old. There are a number of quirks that have cropped up in past decades."_

After a quick review of the last week, Hiccup realized that he was very unfamiliar with Alda's physical body. It had mostly been the dragon's mind and the Runes that he'd interacted with. Now that he looked closer, he could see that the Shade's hind right leg was marked with a very precisely curved scar.

"Alda, what happened to your leg?"

The shift in his voice was unintentional, but he heard that it had heightened in pitch slightly, so that his concern was laid bare.

Then, the oddest thing happened; Hiccup felt a powerful nudge in his mind, almost like someone had shoved him. Upon reaching outwards, he discovered the source. Automatically, his eyes snapped shut, and Hiccup found himself floating amongst thousands of Runes.

Alda's mindspace was very different from the first time Hiccup had visited - where before little points of light had flashed along their lines between Runes and down to Alda's mind, light now pulsed outwards from the mind in waves. Each wave of light blasted outward from a single point on the sphere far below and swept through each and every one of the suspended Runes.

"_Elder! Are you alright?" _Hiccup's voice echoed quietly in the distance, but there was no response from Alda. Briefly, he flashed his eyes open to find that Alda's body had collapsed and now lay shuddering on the floor. Swiftly, the boy placed his feet beneath him and leapt to his teacher's side. One scaled hand came to rest on the old Shade's forehead.

As if on their own, Hiccup's eyes snapped closed again, and he found himself hurtling down towards Alda's mind, and the spot he was gravitating toward was the origin of the light waves. Another swelled outward and Hiccup felt it pass, battering against his conscious. His head was starting to throb now.

Before he could even think to call out again or make a sound, the glowing point in Alda's mind rushed past him, and he found himself falling through a brilliantly blue sky.

_Clouds rushed past. On all sides were the enormous winged shapes of Shades. The group was so thick, Hiccup had trouble seeing the sky beyond. _

_Looking downward, Hiccup saw what he knew to be the great Ice Shelf, along with the mountain that housed the system of caves his body was sitting in now. He had just figured out that he was in a memory when a high pitched shriek split the air. The Shade closest beside Hiccup had opened the sounding slits along its side._

_The shrieking began to pick up in volume and intensity as the Shades all around began to open their slits as well. The sound was piercing, and Hiccup's throbbing head truly started to hurt at that point. It completely threw off his attempts to estimate the number of Shades around him, but there had to be more than a thousand._

_Without any noticeable signal, the entire swarm angled downward and dropped toward the mountain. As they fell, a mental shout hit Hiccup's thoughts._

"Stop! If you do not explain yourselves immediately, we shall retaliate with our full measure of strength."

_With that, a chorus of shouting voices filled the void. It was such a confusing deluge that Hiccup was only able to pick out individual words and tiny phrases._

"...Stop you... murderers... can't... abominations... evil... your tongues... blood... answer... death!"

_The shouting continued as the swarm began to circle the mountain, still falling towards the ground. _

_Suddenly, Hiccup was blinded by a flare of light that shone from somewhere on the mountain surface. Before he could understand what was happening, a column of violet light lit the sky, burning an image onto his eye and showing every Shade in the swarm as a stark silhouette._

_When the image cleared from his eyes, Hiccup watched about one hundred Shade's fall from the sky, wings flapping loosely as the air dragged at them. The swarm broke apart as the angry shouts turned to panicked cries. Shades were now flying in every possible direction. Some collided, and others began to snarl and bite._

_Glancing down again, showed Hiccup an even more frightening sight; a second cloud of Shades was rising from the mountain. With their black hides glowing with odd shapes and strange light, it was clear that each and every member of this new cloud was covered in Runes. _

_As the two clouds intersected, Hiccup saw one of the marked Shades catch one of the unmarked swarm around the neck and bite down. On his other side, one of the marked dragons hit an unmarked from behind. There was a brief flash of light, and grey coloring spread across both bare wings as flesh became stone. The Shade fell. As the marked Shade turned to resume the fight, four dragons baring no Runes tore into him, letting him fall to the ice as helpless as their petrified brother moments later._

_Angry yelling resumed on both sides now, and as more and more pairs of Shade's began to meet mid-air, blood started to rain from the sky._

For one moment, Hiccup's physical eyes flashed open, and he was looking down at Alda to see something he'd never thought he'd see; his teacher was staring up at him, and there was fear in his old eyes.

As if pulled by some unseen force, Hiccup's eyes snapped shut again.

_Everything was dark. Pitch blackness stretching in all directions, but there were sounds - angry snarls and shrieks emanated from the darkness all around him in such a loud and volumous fashion that Hiccup could tell that the actual space was very confined. Before he'd even finished thinking that, the darkness was erased very suddenly by a burst of location echoes. _

_A scene revealed itself; a cramped and small tunnel that reminded Hiccup very much of Home Cave with it's smooth walls came into evidence with an enormous crowding of bodies crammed within. The image was frozen as there had only been one pulse. Some Shades were marked with Runes, while others had none. Each and every dragon was frozen in a state of violence, either dealing harm to those around them, or else receiving it and becoming disfigured._

_Directly in front of his face, Hiccup saw a drop of what he assumed to be blood, hanging suspended and still, shining silver in the white light of the sound pulse._

_Then, the image faded. All the while, the raging sounds of rage and battle continued, its intensity reverberating around the tunnel and growing to such a degree that Hiccup covered both his ears to block some of the deafening noise._

_Another sound pulse flooded the tunnel, and Hiccup was able to pick out it's origin through the chaos; two Shades, one a marked adult female, the other a young male with far fewer Runes, were frozen in the center of the tunnel. They were most evident, first because the pulse that had painted the silvery image in Hiccup's ear originated from the young male's mouth. It was wide open, and the ears pushed forward to catch the echo. There were Runes of Clarity on the inside of the male's ears and the surface of his tongue._

_They were also very easy to see because they were not attacking any of the other dragons. Several bodies seemed to be falling away from the female, as if she'd shoved them out of the way. _

_And as this image also faded, the raging sounds of battle did as well. Everything faded slowly into silence._

_**Thud.**_

_A concussive blast passed through Hiccup's chest. _

_**Thud.**_

_The vibration was resonant and Hiccup shivered slightly._

_**Thud.**_

_With this third vibration of sound, a third sound pulse emanated from the young male's mouth. The scene that revealed itself this time was simultaneously elating and horrifying. _

_The female stood with wings stretched across the passageway, casting a shadow of pitch darkness before her that the young male could not sense due to the obstruction, but behind the adolescent dragon, drops of what could only be blood dripped from the ceiling in copious amounts. Along with the suspended drops clattering to the ground lay malformed shapes of varying sizes strewn next to large figures of still Shades. Hiccup was suddenly very glad that his only means of sensing the tunnel was the imprecise echolocation of the young dragon before him._

_The underside of the female's wings, which faced toward Hiccup, were covered in more Runes than Hiccup had time to count. On each wing, a small cluster of Runes in the center were encircled by two rings, and blazing with light. Hiccup turned now, and he could see the bodies - or, in some cases, pieces of bodies - of Shades now lay along the walls of the tunnel, leaving the center completely clear._

_A smile was just crossing Hiccup's face when he turned back towards the other two. A screech the likes of which the human was lucky to have never heard before now dug its way into his ears. _

_The young male stood behind the female, his face twisted into a horrible mask of agony. _

_Behind the young dragon, Hiccup saw a marked Shade lying against the wall. This Shade's left wing was missing, and blood poured from dozens of gashes in it's side. Its teeth were clamped around the young male's right hind leg. A pattern of Runes were lit brightly on aggressing dragon's face. Three Runes that did not seem to belong in the same configuration, and for a moment Hiccup was confused - the Runes were _Fire_, _Scale_, and _Weakness_. _

_Hiccup gasped. This Shade lying on the ground had inscribed a configuration which he was using to make the young dragon's scales susceptible to fire. _

_Now Hiccup could hear the hiss of flesh, and as the image from the echo faded, the scream continued._

_Rapidly, the darkness changed. In the distance, flashes of light were visible, and the tunnel was vaguely defined. Hiccup saw a single bright point; a glowing green iris was visible where the young male's head had been, as though the eye had just opened._

_The walls that were once grey shined crimson as blue light emanated from around the young dragon's leg, and liquid, onyx scale pooled around his claws. Slowly, the glow faded along with the scream until the only thing left that was visible was the glowing iris, constricted in pain. _

_In front of him, the human sensed movement. Hiccup could barely see the female in the dark tunnel, but her direction was clear; straight towards the attacking Shade. In two rapid bounds she was above him, and a final, resounding __**crunch**__ violently snuffed the life behind the dying dragon's eyes. With it, the vague scene of the tunnel also faded._

_After a few moments, the space in front of Hiccup was lit with dull sunlight. Ahead, a shaft of muted sunlight pierced through the ceiling of a large snow cave. _

_ The young male lay on his side under the light. Where his right hind leg should be, there was a thin, twisted mass of fused scale and seared muscle. Hiccup's stomach turned over as the putrid scent reached him, then it dropped as a whisper echoed in his head._

"For my love, and for your siblings, life."

_The female rapidly sketched a Rune onto the male's chest. Hiccup recognized it as one of the first twenty that Alda had taught him. _

Life.

_A shudder ran through the younger dragon's body. His eyes, which before had been closed tightly, snapped open. The green irises were shimmering and flashing with silvery, internal light as the air came to life around the two Shades. Crackling, golden energy sparkled inside the female's eyes, and after the Rune upon the hatchling's chest grew in intensity, two thin tendrils of light stretched from her pupils and inched towards her offspring. Hiccup watched as the lightning-like connections were joined by a multitude of other strands of halcyon light originating from the older Shade's forehead and temples._

_ Upon reaching the motionless adolescent, all of the tendrils made contact in matching positions on the Shade's body, with the thickest of the golden lines replacing the green hue of his eyes._

_ Immediately, all of the thin strands began pulsing, and Hiccup was sure that should he feel for the female's pulse, it would be perfectly in sync with the rhythm of the connections._

_ With every pulse, the male's body grew simultaneously brighter and darker; as silver light seemed to shine from every crack between his scales, starting from his neck and making its way down his body, the scales of the young dragon became darker, tougher and shinier. The human was enraptured, seeing the distinct outline of supple muscle form under the new scales as the light spread. The Shade's forelegs bulked up in seconds, his claws sharpened, and his chest and shoulders grew broader as the radiance continued downwards._

_ The silver glow reached the male's stomach, and there was a sudden, heaving breath from the female as the pulses of light became erratic. Hiccup saw her eyes widen in distress as the lines connecting mother and son flickered, yet the aura encapsulating the male did not slow; on the contrary, it increased in speed._

_ While the light spread like an unchecked contagion across the adolescent's body, quickly covering his back, navel, and tail, the female gasped and choked on her own breath as the slow, steady pulses of the connections sped up exponentially._

_Sinking to her belly to convulse weakly, tail thrashing and sending charred flakes of deceased Shades every which way, her luminous scales withered and turned ashen, her muscles decayed before Hiccup's eyes, and the inside of her mouth turned the color of the midnight sky as her blood flow stymied, yet the golden tendrils remained locked between the two as they violently thundered with energy, pouring it all into the male._

_ When the silver glow reached the critically wounded hind leg of the young Shade, the sudden increase in luminosity clearly highlighted the gory scene around the trio, but Hiccup kept his eyes on the living dragons before him. As steam coiled around the male's lower half, gold sparks danced across the grievous injury as they reformed muscle, stitched it together seamlessly, covered it with leathery armor, then winked out of existence. With them, the aura around the young Shade faded and the tendrils receded, dying out before they made it back to the husk of the female._

_At the exact moment the light vanished, what little strength that was left in the female seemed to disappear, and she collapsed with a dull crunch onto the stone floor._

_ The young male bounded over to her side, his now-nonexistent injury completely forgotten, and his new health, powerful body ignored. He prodded her neck with his snout, but to both his and Hiccup's horror, the scales crumbled and fell away, leaving greyed and decaying flesh beneath. An anguished cry was ripped from the young male's throat as he leapt away. For a few minutes, the male simply sat, curled in on himself, staring at what was once his mother. Then, he jerked._

"Siblings." _The word whispered itself quietly through Hiccup's thoughts. _

_ The adolescent dragon leaped to his feet and brought a paw down on the shell of the body's side with savage force. Shards of ashen scale flew everywhere, and long gashes were left in the mephitic flesh beneath. After a few seconds, the streaks of torn muscle began to ooze blood; thick, congealed, and black. Wildly, the dragon slashed again, and again. _

_He applied both paws, and eventually, a great slab of muscle came away, revealing a crumpled interior. All of the organs appeared to have been dried and constricted into a tiny lump. It looked to Hiccup very much like the core of some rotten piece of fruit, with gaping spaces and wrinkled flesh where once there had been precious vitality._

_The opening was leaking fluid now. It seemed to be a combination of jellied, pitch blood, as well as some form of bile or pus. The smell drove Hiccup to near sickness on the spot._

_With his only reaction being a wrinkling of the nose, the young dragon reached a limb into the cavity and pulled back violently, a large, bulbous sack of flesh caught in his claws. As it came forth from the body, the sack split, spilling a water-like liquid over the cave floor along with three oblong and weakly-pulsing objects slightly bigger than Hiccup's fist. _

_When Hiccup moved closer and examined them in the faint light from the ceiling, he saw that they seemed to be made of a smooth and unlined form of Shade scale._

_The young male opened his mouth, bathing the objects in violet flames. The entirety of the tunnel and the carnage it contained was revealed in crystalline detail, but Hiccup paid heed only to what he guessed to be eggs._

_Now the male was retracting his teeth while gripping one of the eggs with his jaw. With a flick of his skull and a strange working of the jaw, the egg disappeared. He did the same with each of the other two eggs. A slight bulge formed where his neck met his jaw._

_The male turned, resting a paw on the side of his mother. A very low and pulsating chirping sound came from deep in his chest, and he pushed his head up under the wizened wing. The limb crumbled to dust around him, and a drop of moisture fell to the floor. The chirp rose and became a howl, and he quickly moved his claw in a very precise line, drawing a shape. Hiccup recognized _'Fire'_. Rapidly, smooth, indigo tongues of flame engulfed the body as the male leaped upwards and pulled himself through the opening in the roof._

There was a terribly loud gasping noise, and Hiccup opened his eyes. Before him, Alda was sprawled on his side, chest heaving and eyes moving rapidly from side to side. Hiccup wrenched his limbs from their seemingly frozen state ran a hand down the old dragon's throat, feeling the thundering pulse, far too fast for a Shade.

"Alda!"

A great and final jerk passed through Alda's body, and then he lay still.

_"I'm sorry, boy. That was not a very well-mannered thing for me to do."_

Now that Hiccup was aware of his own body again, he felt his own heart racing.

"What **was **that?! Whose memory was that?! When did it happened?! There were so many..." His voice trailed off into silence. After about three minutes, Alda spoke.

_"Draw your blades, Hiccup."_

The command seemed to be random and without reason, so Hiccup obeyed slowly, and with intense scrutiny of his teacher. He lowered his left hand to his hip, while raising his right to the outside of his left bicep. Both hands grasped their blades, and pulled. As they did, Hiccup cut off the flow of energy beneath the Runes that held the blades in place. They came away from his body. Alda had curled into a small compact ball, his wings hid all of his legs from view and his tail was tucked tightly underneath.

_"Hiccup, the Weh blades were not commonly used by Shades. In fact, they were only used by a group of about fifty. I spoke briefly of the Silver Age..."_

"The height of the Shade race!" Hiccup bit his lip after realizing that he'd cut his teacher off.

_"Indeed, Hiccup. The height of our race. Back then, many knew of the Heart's Fire, and were able to use it. Thousands congregated here in the north and lived together peacefully, trading knowledge and cooperating with one another."_

"But, Alda, if the ones cooperating were only those using the Heart's Fire, what about the rest? All the others that couldn't use it or that didn't live in the North?" Hiccup repositioned himself, sitting next to Alda and placing what he hoped was a comforting hand on the old dragon's forehead while placing his blades on the floor in front of him.

_"Shades, as you know, are extremely adaptive. They can gain nutrients from almost any living thing they sink their teeth into. They can live in hot or cold climates, as they are well insulated and regulated, and they mostly live alone, roaming far and wide. Rather, that's how the southerners lived. Any Shade that did not possess the Heart's Fire or live in very close proximity to those that did were very isolated and distrusting of others._

_ It was one particular group of northerners that did not like the way things were, that shattered our world. About fifty or so of them, all young and foolishly idealistic, decided that they could use the powers they'd been gifted with to teach other Shades the Northern way; the communal way. They called themselves the _Weh_, and they travelled far and wide telling any Shade they could find of the joys of living together."_

Hiccup had flinched at the mention of the _Weh, _and stared down at his blades.

"_Normally, this would not have been a problem; such things had happened before. The other Shades would have simply ignored the youngsters and no harm would have come. But the _Weh_ had a leader, a single Shade that stepped up and took command as well as all responsibility for the group's actions. Her name was Kair. Something drove her, to take this mission of the _Weh_ far beyond what seems reasonable or logical to any sane creature. Kair decided, that if other Shades would not accept the northern way, then she would impose it." _

Hiccup's brow furrowed, and his hand began to draw irritated circles on Alda's forehead.

_"Kair taught and trained the _Weh _how to fight as a group to greatest effect. They used the Heart's Fire to fashion their blades and they swept across the southern lands, forcing as many Shades as they could into a single place. Those that resisted were slaughtered."_

Heat flashed through Hiccup's chest and for a moment, his eyes felt hot. He looked down, seeing crimson blood coursing over the blades on the floor, before shaking his head to find that the liquid was gone.

_"Of course the backlash of this plan was the imbalance. Fifty Shades, no matter how young, can not subjugate a race numbering in the tens of thousands. Mental ripples expanded outward from the place where the _Weh _kept their would-be followers, and the entirety of the Shade race descended on them. The fifty of them took hundreds down, but they were eventually torn apart by overwhelming numbers. Once again, that would have been the end of it, if not for Kair. She was the last of the _Weh _to fall. When it was clear that she would die, she used a series of Runes to release all of her Heart's Fire at once. The detonation incinerated upwards of five hundred Shades. The entirety of our race turned in anger, to the North."_

Hiccup gasped. If the entirety of the race of Shades had attacked the North, then what he had just seen...

_"What you just witnessed Hiccup, are some of my memories from my days as an adolescent. You see, I was there when the Silver Age was burned to the ground. I was there when our race destroyed itself. I took my three siblings from my mother's body, after she sacrificed her life to allow me to live on, and to prosper and raise them. I locked myself with the eggs inside a snow bank, using Runes of concealing and protection, as well as Runes of sleep. When the violence was over, I emerged with my sisters and brother some fifty years later as a member of a race on the verge of extinction."_

A tear fell from Hiccup's face and splashed on Alda's ear. The impact seemed far too loud.

"How could tens of thousands of Shades just... kill each other?!" Alda's reply sounded tired, and was filled with a sorrow so deep, it spanned centuries.

_"Hiccup, there were only a few thousand northerners, but they killed far more than a normal Shade ever could. They used their powers in defense, and decimated their own species as a result."_

"What did you do when you realized...?"

_"The Three and I sought out this place for a decade or so. It's familiarity and relative safety made for a good starting point in life. Unfortunately, I found this hall, and became lost in it's teachings. You see, my siblings are all barren of the Heart's Fire. These Runes mean nothing to them. Their strength lies in their combined mental prowess. It was they that first discovered the threat of the Queen."_

Alda paused for a moment then snorted.

_ "Heavens above, we're late. Come youngling, we can discuss this later. Now, we must convince my siblings of both your intelligence, and your trustworthiness."_

XXX

Astrid

Astrid stumbled as a root attempted to obstruct her path. With a quiet curse, the blonde Viking punched the tree that the roots connected to as hard as she could. A few knuckles popped with satisfying clicks, and when she looked, a few layers of skin were missing. She flexed her hand and smiled slightly.

_Violence making everything better as usual._

"Look, it's not my fault that the brute ran off. I don't even know why I'm following him!"

_Because we are both concerned about his well being, given that he's the most powerful ally that we have in a truly hopeless situation._

Astrid started to walk again, keeping one hand on her knife. Ahead, she saw an indistinct shadow pass through the foliage of a tree, signalling the presence of the Night Fury.

_Where's our Terror?_

For a brief second, panic shot through Astrid's body, stiffening her limbs and making her head jerk wildly from side to side. Then she regained herself, rolled her eyes, and turned to look behind her. The Terror was there scratching at the bark of a tree, and running its tongue through the gashes.

"It's right there, eating the foul insects that it loves so much. Now will you **please **shut up? I'm trying to follow Death's offspring."

_That's a load of yakshit and you know it._

Astrid decided to break the thread of conversation before she ended up in a shouting match with thin air... again. She instead looked upwards, and noticed through the trees in the distance, dark clouds beginning to boil over the sea on the horizon.

Ahead, the Night Fury suddenly dropped from the tree it had been balanced in and dived headlong into a bush. A shriek and a snapping sound followed. Astrid's knife was free of its sheath before she'd actually considered drawing it and she sprinted toward the bush.

Skidding to a halt, she was met with the black face of the Fury with eyes wide and the broken body of a Terrible Terror hanging from its mouth. Astrid gave a strangled yell and whipped around. Her distraction was evident in that she showed her back to a potential foe, but her fear was laid to rest almost instantly when she saw her Terror with its distinct scar sitting on a tree branch behind her. Without knowing why she did it, she made a clicking sound in the back of her mouth.

The Terror immediately jumped from bough to her shoulder. She then turned to the Fury with an angry curl in her lip.

"You scared the hell out of me, dammit. Warn us or something next time." The black dragon gave an extra loud gurgle and dropped the carcass at her feet.

Astrid was about to give the Fury the clout on the nose that it so richly deserved, but she was interrupted by a very loud roar from above.

A burst of maroon flashed in her eye before Astrid was knocked backwards by a powerful impact to her stomach. There was a rushing sound as the world dimmed as air left her lungs. Her eyes widened and lightning shot through each of her limbs. Directly ahead, the undersides of several different pine tree boughs came into sharp focus, while the breaks of sky between them seemed to fuzz and blur. She was aware of the constricting tail of her Terror, tightening around her neck as it fought to stay on her shoulder.

It was her head that hit the tree. For a moment, the world went black and sound cut off entirely. After some period of time, there was a sharp stabbing sensation at the base of her skull.

Red veiled Astrid's sight as her eyes jerked open. She sat up rapidly, and the blood drained from her skull, taking the red mist, and some of the underlying fuzziness away with it. The pounding throb in her skull served to rouse her further.

Before her was a sight so strange, it took her a few moments of staring to register what she was seeing. On the ground to her left, she saw the body of a Monstrous Nightmare with a split running across it's abdomen, blood welling across the ground. It was very clearly dead. Astrid assumed that it was the Night Fury that killed it. This much, she could comprehend. However, when she glanced to the left, reason seemed to disappear.

A writhing mass of yellow shifted back and forth across the ground, shrieking and squealing with underlying thunderous roars. Occasionally the mass would crash into the trunk of a tree and some of the mass shifted and splayed across the ground. Astrid was then able to see what made up the strange mound; it was a swarm of Terrible Terrors, all mobbing over a single black shape that Astrid could recognise now - the Night Fury, raging and bellowing away as the tiny menaces nipped at it.

The final thing that she registered was that four other Terrors were separated from the swarm, crouched in a semicircle around her splayed body, and a single Terror standing on her stomach in an angry posture, shrieking imperiously at the four.

One of the four leapt. Astrid's befuddled mind was too clouded to react, but the Terror sitting on her chest leapt as well, striking the aggressor out of the air and leaping back to take up his position again.

As Astrid started to catch up to what she was observing, her hand went automatically for her knife.

_That was a nasty bump. You're bleeding down your neck so there's at least some kind of gash. With any luck your skull didn't break._

The blond Viking snarled and rose to a kneeling position, fighting through the pounding agony in her skull.

Two of the four Terrors now leapt in tandem. The Terror on her chest once again leapt to intercept one, while the other sailed towards her face. Automatically the knife rose, and there was a crunching thud as she sent the unchecked attacker flying off to the side. After a brief and very loud scuffle, Astrid's Terror rose from the body of the other attacker and leapt back to the Viking's chest, then scrambled up onto her shoulder.

With a very low grunt and a powerful bite to her lower lip, Astrid rose to her feet through a cloud of pain. The other two Terrors were attacking now, but once again her knife flashed once, twice, and even more blood spattered the already sodden earth.

The world tilted slightly as Astrid's head continued to pound, and she tried to maintain her balance while studying the opposing dragons at the same time.

_Don't let me distract you or anything, but you seem a bit out of sorts. Your gaze keeps slipping off to the left._

Astrid gritted her teeth and stared intently at the mass of Terrors.

_There's more than fifty there I think. Attacking them would be absolutely useless unless you could break them..._

A rushing sound deafened the disoriented girl as a sudden column of air raced between the trees. Her hair was blown free of its binding, which had probably been loosened by her introduction with the tree at her back, and it flowed outwards in the sudden wind. Almost as if they were jumping, the mound of Terrors all seemed to float up and away from the black dragon beneath.

Astrid could see it now, shoulders heaving and eyes wide, with a strange symbol glowing in cyan blue on it's chest. The symbol faded quickly. The Night Fury sniffed at his own foreleg and the blood that was running down it before lifting his head and roaring to the heavens. After a brief instant, flame leapt from his throat and the pine boughs above him immediately caught ablaze.

_In case you're not paying attention, which I know you're not, you've been attacked by a Nightmare and a swarm of Terrors; a swarm which is now scattered and vulnerable. I suggest you retaliate like he's doing._

Without further prompt, Astrid found that her body leapt into action of its own accord. Her knife whipped repeatedly toward the ground, occasionally striking the quickly-moistening earth, but more often than not the slashes found their way into the scaled necks and chests that they were intended for. She staggered slightly, but continued in a mostly straight line towards the Night Fury.

The Terrors, in the meantime, were getting to their feet, making attempts to regroup and fall upon the Night Fury once more. However, they found their attempts impeded by swinging talons and sweeping wings. Each group that formed and moved forward was broken apart and sent flying by a physical blow or blast of air from the large black dragon.

Astrid was finding it difficult to stay standing as her head continued to throb and her vision fluctuated.

_To the left! _Astrid's knife whipped around and decapitated a Terror midair. _Legs! _Her left fist pounded two dragons into the ground that had attempted to climb her knees, splitting her knuckles wide open in the process. _Stick close to the big guy; he has the right idea!_

As Terrors were sent flying left and right, Astrid's left hand fell on the Night Fury's large and blood soaked shoulder. The dragon snarled and turned towards her, only to turn away again and swipe at another group of milling Terrors.

Smoke was starting to drift into Astrid's eyes now. She spared a glance upwards; most of the trees around the two of them had been consumed and were now dotted with glowing embers across black trunks. They could fall very soon. Dispatching two more Terrors allowed her a look around. Bushes and deadwood around the clearing were starting to light, and the smoke was flowing low over the ground as the breeze picked up.

Astrid gave a slight cough. Then shouted, "What did you have to go and set the forest on fire for?!" An angry snarl was the Fury's only response.

_ The Terrors, Astrid! We're angry at the Terrors! _Three had jumped at the same time. A single slash from Astrid's knife opened all of their throats to the elements; the elements which were becoming more and more sodden and violent with each minute. The sky was growing dark even without the smoke as the clouds overhead turned black. Flashes of lightning were arcing in the distance as water droplets splattered on Astrid's face.

A Terror which she had not seen raked its claws across her cheek as it passed by her face from behind. Without even considering, she whipped the blade across her body and sliced the small dragon in two. A guttural howl rose in her throat and she ran forward once again, pain forgotten and disorientation disregarded. She began to lash out at her left and right like a mad creature, chopping innocent fern along with dragonhide to pieces. Behind her, the Fury echoed her roar and gave wider sweeping strokes of his wings, not just knocking Terrors aside, but hurling them toward the enraged Viking. One by one, they met their end.

It was raining in earnest now. Heavy, fat droplets of water pounded down from the sky in sheets, and Astrid's vision began to blur as her eyes filled with alien fluid. After a few minutes of mindless, ruthless butchering, interrupted only by the occasional sting of a tail in her ribs or teeth around her shoulders, she found that she was having to run after the Terrors as they were no longer attacking her. They all seemed to be scrabbling away into the brush.

She snarled angrily and leapt after them, pushing aside branches that had recently been aflame but now were beginning to cool and go out with the onset of the storm. Just as she was about to swing at the tail of an escaping Terror, a bloodied, black curtain obstructed her path and view. She bounced off of it and fell back into a firm, warm surface. She tried to push off and run again, but the curtain before her contracted and wrapped itself about her, pressing her into the mass behind. Struggling, she looked up into the face of a maimed and shaking Night Fury.

The fingers of her right hand twitched around the handle of her dagger as she registered a dragon both in her sights and within striking distance.

_I swear to the gods, if you stab him, I'll make you suffer. _

She jerked, and the knife fell from her hand. Before she could even begin to think of what had happened over the past ten minutes, her eyes closed, her head found the dragon's chest, and she fell into blackness.

XXX

Toothless

The moment was both joyous and frightening. Hiccup's mind became apparent, as if a thick shroud of wool had just been whipped away, but it felt strange; the mind of the young human had grown. It had expanded and developed to encompass far more things than the boy had known upon leaving Berk. Toothless reached out instinctively and took hold of the conscious, wrapping it up in his own thoughts.

Things began to flow in. Strange things. Things that Hiccup had learned, and yet, were not his. Toothless saw memories of other dragons that told stories and instructed. Hiccup knew all there was to know about Shade anatomy - he knew even more about Toothless' body than Toothless did.

But the thing Hiccup remembered most was a large and recent memory that stayed shrouded from Toothless. All he could distinguish was that it involved Alda.

Simultaneously, Toothless felt his own experiences being picked at, but Hiccup was not reading the thoughts as he once had, looking at them all and trying to take them in all at once; rather, his thoughts separated a single knew memory, and examined it in excruciating detail. Hiccup rapidly began to learn again. He searched and analyzed all of Toothless' experience in the past week.

He learned much of Shade fighting, and dragon to dragon combat. He learned of the Wings and their routines, habits, and duties. Finally, he took in the truth of Ryshkaa, and the past that they shared with her.

XXX

And both of them, as one, froze. The joining complete.

Every single thing that they knew about Ryshkaa, whom they'd met some weeks ago, flashed through their mind.

Ryshkaa is Lonely.

Ryshkaa is Strong.

Ryshkaa is Sad.

Ryshkaa is a Murderer.

Ryshkaa feels Remorse.

Ryshkaa deserves...

Unfortunately, adding Hiccup's thoughts to his own had not solved Toothless' conundrum. It had placed their very feelings at an Impasse. Hiccup believed that Ryshkaa deserved forgiveness, referencing her daily pain as evidence. Toothless believed that she deserved death.

Hiccup spoke as an individual, the strange whispering of his mind acting as a dull background to his words, _"We will have to deal with this later."_

_ "TOOTHLESS!" _The roaring shout echoed through their mind as Sycle's voice brought Toothless back to his own body, which he now realized was frozen in a position of semi movement, one foreleg outstretched as though to take a step.

_"__**Yes Sycle?**__" _Toothless found that Hiccup spoke at the exact same time that he did, and a small human smile tugged at his lips. Turning, Toothless beheld the elder Shade, with his posture frozen in a comical combination of shock, and annoyance. Obviously Toothless had seemed to simply freeze, but now, Sycle was unsure what to make of this new voice.

Toothless decided to make it easy for him.

_"Come, Sycle. I'll introduce you properly to my mate."_

Toothless continued on toward the ledge, leaving a narrow eyed Sycle standing stock still behind. After a few steps, the young dragon's excitement overcame him and he bounded up the rest of the slope. When he crossed the ridge at the top, he skidded to a dead halt as a tense scene was revealed.

Alda stood in the center of the smaller cavern, facing the elevated ledge before him where the Three sat. The trio of elderly dragons all were in states of blatant unease, rustling their wrinkled wings and shifting their weight between each of their creaking limbs.

As soon as Toothless came over the last rise, a shape separated itself from Alda; a distinctly human shape.

It turned.

Toothless froze.

Hiccup stood on the balls of his feet, knees slightly flexed in a very mobile and motion-ready stance. The boy had been drastically altered over the course of the past few weeks. Toothless found himself slowly stepping towards him as he took in each knew feature.

The boy wore only his stolen leg garments, leaving his feet and torso bare. The feet themselves were now covered in the shining, black, scale unique to Shades, with sharpened protrusions where the nails used to be. Above the garment, the torso only had patches of human skin left, while the rest of the sculpted and muscular flesh covering the ribs and stomach were scaled. The largest patches were located directly below the...

_What's the human term? Pectorals?_

Hiccup's richer, whispering voice responded. _"That's what they're called." _The smile in his voice warmed Toothless straight through to his toes.

The arms were entirely encased in obsidian flesh, and the same sharp points projected from each of the boy's fingers.

The final feature that caught Toothless' eye was the stripe of scale that ran up the left side of Hiccup's neck and across the bottom of his face to connect with the scaled line that ran through his eye. Extremely thin lines of black extended from that line across his face, and finally, at long last, Toothless found the eyes.

Hiccup starred directly back, and Toothless felt an almost physical connection to the opposite set of emerald orbs, and he could sense that Hiccup was experiencing the same sensation. For a moment, it was the only thing that existed in their mind; a single set of viridian jewels, bound to emerald pools of fire.

The Shade felt the connection shatter as Hiccup's body broke it's rigid stance, and he leaped to Toothless with a single bound of inhuman strength.

Toothless felt the impact reverberate in his neck and chest, and his eyes widened in shock as his wing subconsciously reached for the boy; Hiccup had never been able to exert physical force like that before.

"_What have you been doing this past week? Well, actually, I know, but still! There's muscle to spare here!"_

The young dragon shivered as a smooth, scaled palm ran itself across his chest. Before he could refocus his thoughts into a response, their exchange was interrupted by a thunderous trio of voices vibrating in unison through their thoughts.

"_**If you don't mind! We were just about to examine the thoughts of the... youngling."**_

The final word was hesitant. Spoken as though the voices were not convinced that so innocent a word should be applied. Alda responded in weary, exasperated voice.

"_For the sake of the heavens, they are mates reuniting after time apart. Give them a moment."_

The masculine voice of the three now spoke alone.

"_Ahh, yes. We must decide what to do about this... violence against nature."_

Hiccup straightened to his full, unintimidating height and faced the Three, placing a hand on Toothless' neck while the dragon's wing rested across the boy's shoulder.

Alda drew in a large breath, and let it rush out in a sigh.

"_What crime, exactly, do you feel has been committed, brother?"_

All the voices answered without hesitation.

"_**This youngling binds himself for life to this... nonentity! A **_**human!**_** Such a thing is a betrayal of his own race, especially given the current circumstances we face with the Queen. This shall not be permitted in the sanctuary that we have created and served as curators of!" **_

Hiccup's head was beginning to pound, and Toothless' ears laid back, flattened against his head.

Now, the whispering could be heard; more than fifty voices now were conversing rapidly, so quietly that Hiccup could not make out more than a couple of fragments.

"_...they come here thinking... we shall not stand... how dare... why is it such a... they should be allowed... shut up... evil..."_

A quick glance around the room revealed the source of the whispers. Once again, just as they had when Toothless and he had first arrived, the Shades of Home Cave gathered. Many hung from the ceiling while a few pressed in from the ground, but regardless of their posture, Shades were making themselves known on all sides of the six.

Alda let released a low and guttural thrum.

The rustlings of scales on stone folded wings ceased. The whispers fell silent.

"_Do not presume to take sole responsibility for the community that has been created here, dear siblings. My students and I, whom I know you excluded from your statement of 'we', have played just as vital a role as the three of you."_

The statement was low and ominous, like the thunder of a distant storm.

A female now spoke alone.

"_You may have used your little tricks to bring Shades to us, but it is the three of us that protect the collective minds of all the inhabitants of this cave from malicious influences."_

When Alda responded, his voice had calmed and smoothed out, and now rose in a soothing tone, which Hiccup knew was meant to glaze over the argument.

"_We are escaping from the point, dear sister. I don't really care one way or another what high opinion you have of yourself; we were discussing my latest student and his mate. I would say to you that he is as much a part of our race as you or I. He has left his world behind, and the changes in his body are evident. He is sentient, he bears our scale, and he is even possessed of the Heart's Fire."_

All three elderly dragons on their ledge flinched at the sound of the last two words. Their wings opened and angled outward slightly in an attitude of fear.

The third female voice spoke.

_"I don't see how that abnormality factors into-"_

_ "Stars above, sister, are you blind?! Look at the boy! His very species is changing! Such a change could only happen under the Fire's influence!"_

_**"We know some little of your abilities Alda. If the Fire is responsible for this boy's change, a Shade must have set it in motion. Ryshkaa encountered him, already with the changes in progress, yet you tell us that Tutore had no involvement and that the youngling is barren of the Fire. Your words reek of falsehood!"**_

The whispers returned, much louder and more confused than before. Before either side could respond, however, a clear and gravelly voice cut through the din.

_"I would like to speak, please."_

The whispering hushed but did not disappear as Sycle stepped forth from the crowd.

_**"Do so. You have trained with this youngling for the past week?"**_

_"I have. But if I may pose a question, the argument here is based on the fact that this boy is a human, correct? It seems to me that such disagreement needless, given that he is sentient and possesses mental faculties to match ours. That point is moot. The only question left is the matter of the boy's trustworthiness."_

_**"Are you proposing that we let a HUMAN walk freely among us?!" **_These words thundered and shook the thoughts of all present. Hiccup put a hand to his temple, wincing slightly. Sycle remained unmoved.

_"I propose precisely that. The boy is joined to a member of my Wing. He will fall into the Dream Pool this very morning. I shall be able to judge him in full upon waking, as will the rest of my wing. You may question me personally then, but this argument is quite needless in the meantime."_

Silence fell through the hall. While no words came from the crowd, Toothless could sense a generally positive aura, an air of approval. Alda chose then to speak up again.

_ "That sounds like an excellent compromise, don't you think?" _

Thirty tense seconds passed, during which Toothless could sense thoughts and opinions flying between the three old ones almost instantly.

At last they spoke.

_**"We find this solution satisfactory. In the meantime, the Wings are released, with the exception of Tarik's, as they are on patrol. Let the Season commence!"**_

As one, the gathered Shade's let out a mighty cry and most took wing on the spot. The air was changed instantly into a maelstrom as at least a hundred pairs of wings beat and a cloud of Shades surged toward the cavern exit.

Toothless, while he felt his wings suddenly ache for the sky, had no idea what was happening, while Hiccup drew from his reserve of Shade lore.

The Season of Choice had begun. Every Shade in the region would take to the skies and seek a desirable mate. Fights would break out over individuals, and many would be rebuffed, but when the couplings were formed they would stay together until the true Springtime season, when they would bear eggs.

Toothless drew a shocked breath as this was revealed to him. He knew instantly that his bond with Hiccup would not allow for any other to be with him, but he didn't want such a thing anyway. They both knew they had sealed their fate in months past. Still, the need to take to the sky was great, and without another word, they turned and bounded for the exit.

XXX

Unknown

The body of the fallen one had not lasted long. Other dragons had begun to fall now. He needed more sustenance than another dragon of his age, for he grew extremely quickly.

_More. We must seek out more._

_ There are no more. Not here._

_ There must be some, somewhere! Anywhere!_

_ There is one. He lies on the human island._

_ But killing him would alert the others: the Old One!_

_ The Old One must be removed. He stands in our way. _

_ What of the others? The Three?_

_ They are jibbering and spiteful fools. We will break them with ease._

_ What of the rogue? The runaway?_

_ I want him back. I want him to suffer._

_ Shall I bring him? _

_ No need. They will all come in time. They gather to move against us. Pathetic._

_ Then I shall just kill the Old One?_

_ Be very careful. He carries the strength of more than one._

_ Of course. May I eat him?_

_ If you do so quickly and quietly. Now go! The tiny ones are getting restless. There's no telling when they'll decide to attack._

_ I go, mother._

XXX

Shades only occasionally mate for life. The process starts with the Season. All the Shades in a particular region will take to the skies as winter sets in, and hunt for that year's mate. Usually it's an abundance physical fitness and body shape that will first catch a Shade's eye. Once the choice has been made, the two will engage in an aerial chase, wherein each will try to restrain the other. During this contest, they will size each other up and decide whether or not the other is worthy.

If both decide in the affirmative, regardless of the victor, they will mate for that year.

If the winner decides in the negative, he or she will leave and search out a different partner.

However, if the winner decides in the positive, but the loser does not wish to join with them, then the winner can subjugate the loser to his or her wishes, by use of subordination instincts in the loser's mind and the two will mate for that year.

Rarely do a mated pair produce offspring. In fact one in twenty mated pairs will produce eggs in a fertile year. However, often the male and female fertility cycle's do not align and no offspring are produced at all. This is why Shade numbers have not recovered very well since the fall.

Sometimes, a pair is extremely compatible both physically and mentally. Such a pair has a greater likelihood of aligning their cycles and producing offspring. Often this pair will also form a "soulbond" to use terminology from the Silver Age, and they will continue to act and live together for the remainder of their lives. Members of such a bond are immune to Flight Subjugation during a Season.

Heartbeat of the Arctic

Ryshkaa

XXX

Ito

As Shade after Shade rushed past, Ito stood amongst the mad flurry of activity. He had lost interest in finding a mate long ago. After...

His eyes found the back of Sycle's head. He knew every line of that profile and hated each curve and angle.

But Ito was hunting for a new profile this time, and it took much longer to find, as it was so much smaller than the black forms. After a few moments of panning, he caught it; a tall, thin shape that did not belong amongst the larger, balanced forms of bounding Shades. The press of bodies confused his echoes to the point of blank vibrations, but for some reason, that human silhouette stood out against the nonsense. It did not belong here, in this cave. It did not belong among Ito's kind. He turned and followed the rushing swarm toward the exit, snorting in disgust.

There was a great crowding at the entrance to the tunnel, and some Shade's were crawling up onto the walls to use every available surface. The speed of each individual was so great, however, that Ito found himself through the confined space and into the water in moments.

The number of Shades in the water turned the sea into a roiling torrent. It was a struggle to get to the surface. Ito found that as he swam, the antics of those around him seemed to be a nuisance, no more than an annoying and unnecessary set of actions. His own blood did not thrill with flight-need. He did not listen all around for the movements of feminine shapes. He did not even give any vocal cry as he burst from the water with the others and into the sky, where they trumpeted their joy to the stars.

The only thing that Ito could think about was **her**.

The designation resounded in his mind as he pumped his wings and lifted himself alongside all the others. However, once the others started to swerve off and flit towards and away from each other, Ito continued and found himself locking his wings and resting on a strong draft as he watched the commotion below.

He used to be one of them. He used to take to the air to flaunt himself and browbeat others into accepting his superiority. But now, he could only watch, wishing that things were different; that Sycle had never come to Home Cave.

Suddenly, a disturbance below caught his eye. A concussive blast hit his ears and sent a ripple through his taught wingskin. He combed the field of flitting shapes below with eyes and ears, searching for the source of the commotion. The moon was full and bright tonight, and the Shades below were unusually visible. It was the moonlight that allowed him to see the circle.

A ring of white foam rolled outwards across the sea from a single point. When Ito found the center, he followed a trail of misted water droplets upwards until he was met with a disturbing sight; the youngling, his shape deformed and bulged out by the human clinging to his neck, was travelling faster than any living creature should be able to, straight upwards from the water. On each wing a strange and contorted mixture of lines glowed like blue, flameless fire. The lines faded as he watched while the young male crowed in jubilation and began to weave in and out of the massed group, passing so close to some that the human reached out and brushed their scales with his malformed hands.

As Ito watched, several females below changed course so quickly, some of them actually flipped in the air and fell a ways before regaining speed. At least ten were after the youngling. And as a chase began, Ito heard a strange sound, high pitched and bubbly yet abrupt.

Ito heard, for the first time, the sound of human laughter.

The youngling was quick and agile, that was certain. He bobbed and weaved through the crowd as though the rest were standing still. The human seemed to lean and shift to keep perfect balance no matter how sharp the turn or how abrupt the climb or dive. The false tailfin moved in such synchronicity with the natural one that Ito could not tell them apart. While this was impressive, Ito knew that it was still a disadvantage in combat; an alien mass on one's back is a detriment to fluidity of motion no matter the familiarity.

How could this dragon be so familiar with the weight of a human? It defied reasoning. Such a thing contorted the way of things. The entire Season was being disrupted. Ito could see others, males and females alike, turning to watch this strange and exotic pair in their chase with their band of female suitors. None of them would be able to catch up. They lacked the experience.

A thought entered Ito's mind. If so many were interested in the young male, surely if he were caught, the human could be shunted aside and forgotten. Things could return to normal if the youngling was caught and matched. The human would cease to matter, just as he himself had so many years ago.

Ito folded his wings and dropped. The wind whistled past, and a few eyes turned up to look. Ito opened his lateral slits. The howling whistle gave all attention to him, and he pulled sharply up, falling into line in front of the female band behind the newcomer and his rider.

The youngling reacted instantly, dropping his nose, twisting his primary wings, and whipping his tail. The result was a tight curl that reversed their direction and dropped them towards the sea in nearly no time at all.

Ito reacted swiftly, dipping his nose and angling his wings, executing a half roll, and turning himself right side up as he dived toward the pair. They didn't seem to realize that he had stayed with them, and he almost had the tail in his jaws when they suddenly rolled and came level mere feet above the surface of the ocean. Ito sensed a pang of fear from both dragon and boy. That was a strange feeling. A human was normally an empty void, while this one cried out with sentience. It sent a cold shudder down the Shade's spine.

He rolled with them, staying dead on their trail. Ito gained ground quickly, immediately noticing that the human's weight slowed the youngling's acceleration slightly but also provided him with increased agility. All Ito had to do was force them to stay low and limit their mobility, and he had them. To that end, he rose a few meters and made to fly directly over the pair as to pin them between the sea and himself.

As his head aligned over the Shade's flank, casting a shadow over the human, the boy turned to look at Ito and instantly shifted the tail fin, bringing his semi-scaled chest onto the Shade's neck and tucking in his arms. An instant later, both were below the sealine.

Ito made to follow, angling to dive straight down, but the second his nose touched the frigid waters the surface of the ocean exploded as the pair rocketed upwards at a ninety degree angle. Ito felt a sharp pain on the tip of his tail as the duo flew past him.

The youngling had kicked his tail, and in the split second before Ito was submerged he could hear the gurgling laughter of the Shade.

The temperature of the icy sea was forgotten by the scarred dragon as his rage set his blood on fire. Executing a flawless curl inwards and aligning himself with his nose to the sky in under half a second, Ito broke the churning waters and beat his wings with all the might in his body.

Where most sentient beings would have had their focus reduced by their emotional state, Ito had learned to channel his anger, letting his senses heighten while retaining his mental capacity to react intelligently and plan his movements.

Upon seeing the two chaotic beings above him twist in the air and level out to allow the human to draw blue fire onto his mount, the elder dragon made a beeline for them, closing the slits next to his ears in order to get as close as possible to them before alerting them. In seconds, he was below the pair, and his wings angled to allow him to flip upside-down as his paws impacted either side of the youngling's torso, and he held both his limbs in place as he pulled himself face-to-face with the Shade.

Ito broadcasted his words for every dragon present to hear.

"_Listen well stripling. I would claim this human for the year, but he must represent himself. He and I will fight on the ground on the morrow, and you will not interfere. You have already been defeated." _

With that, Ito released the youngling and fell away toward the sea, leaving dead silence in his wake.

XXX

Hiccup

Hiccup could not seem to keep his hands away from Toothless. Every time he tried to stand apart and walk on his own, his hand snuck of its own accord back to the dragon's scale and the rolling mass of powerful muscle beneath. In turn, Toothless' wing kept bumping against his side, rubbing across his own scales. The sensations were strange. Every movement of his body rustled, and he still was not used to that.

The Wing descended through a series of passages that were so twisting and complex that Hiccup was lost after the first five turns, but Toothless knew the way. As his memories promised, the cave they arrived at was homey and comforting. Sycle fired a ball of flame into the pit where it sat and burned, lighting the interior. Hiccup wanted to stay up and share thoughts much longer than this, but his eyelids were drooping. The intensity of the Season's flight had worn him down, and worry for what would come tomorrow boiled in the bottom of his stomach.

But before he could even start to worry, he felt Toothless' loving mental caress as his thoughts were engulfed by feelings of warmth, belonging, ownership, and home. And it wasn't just Toothless; the minds of all five Shades rubbed and bumped each other, and Hiccup could sense the boundaries between them blurring.

"_Shhh, tomorrow is for tomorrow, my mate. The Dream Pool beckons us. Come and rest. I'll keep you safe and warm through the night."_

Hiccup felt the familiar cocoon of scaled wings surround and encase him, as he fell slowly into a revolving sea of darkness filled with thought, memory, and dreams.

The identity of the next word's speaker was lost in the Pool, but it did not really matter.

"_**I love you."**_

XXX

_He stood facing the wolf, whose ears were drooped to either side in sorrow with head tilted downward. The canine was a picture of outright sorrowful mourning, but he did not care. That beast had killed his sister. And he was going to kill it in turn._

_He leapt. The wolf lifted itself to its feet, but did no more. His paw impacted the side of its muzzle with crushing force. There was a high pitched whine, but the bone did not break. The wolf made no move to get away from or soften the blow. It was lifted off its paws and sent spinning through the air, landing in a heap on the snow. After a moment, it rolled over, and sat again, resuming it's sad and dejected stance. _

_He was angry now. Why didn't it move?! Why didn't it fight back?! Why did it sit there as though waiting for death?! He lunged again, this time biting for its neck, shifting his weight to knock the creature over and pin it. The wolf offered no resistance and in seconds it was on the ground with him standing over it, jaws wide, ready to crush the skull. And as he looked down into those flinty golden eyes, he saw something familiar. _

_There was no life in those eyes. Not even the desire for life. There was only pain._

"I'm ready, Toothless. Do it. End it. The stars know I've waited long enough." _The voice was also dead. Emotionless. After it finished speaking, it turned aside, and the eye closed, waiting for the deathblow. _

_Slowly, as though it had a mind of it's own, his jaw closed, and his legs refused to bear his weight. He fell sideways into the snow and lay there cursing himself and the wolf lying beside him._


	33. Chapter 33

AN:\\ Alright everyone I'm sorry it took so long, but hey you can't really blame me at 16.9K. Anyway, LEPShot deserves SO much love because without his epic choreography skills and insight into characters that he didn't even create, this chapter would never have gotten done. I must WARN ALL OF YOU, THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS INTENSELY PHYSICAL ROMANTIC MATERIAL THAT IS IDEOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE IN NATURE. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. So, there's your warning. Don't come crying to me if you ignore it. Enjoy!

Oh, and sorry if there are any stupid errors. I was so excited to have it done, the final check was cursory at best.

Chapter 33

Ito

It was a glorious night. A sliver of moon cast faint, silver light down on the clouds that drifted lazily over the sea. The air was calm, yet strangely warm for this time of year. Winter was setting in, but it seemed that there was one final burst of summer in the wind.

Below, among the clouds, dark shapes darted and dived. Occasionally, two shapes would intersect and violently break away from each other. Ito, unlike the other males, floated high above at rest on a north-flowing air current. He could not keep his eyes on any of the shapes except the one he had been seeking since his flight began.

Varra.

Her flight was graceful, agile and quick. Regardless of the shapes that tried to approach her, she deftly avoided and sent them spinning away. There simply wasn't a single Shade that could match her, and none that deserved to.

But Ito knew that he could.

Taking one final breath, the young male folded his wings and dropped like a stone. Wind screamed passed, but not for a single moment did he take his eyes off of her.

As she made a loop to tease a male that had just missed her, the dim moonlight caught her scale and Ito found himself simply staring. Rivulets of light flowed down her side and danced across her outstretched wings. The only sound that came to him was the dull and disappointed cry of the male that had missed. Ito felt his heart leap.

It was his night. This was the time. He angled his wings slightly, rotating onto his back as he fell below, and past her. When she looked down, the expression in her posture was so surprised, Ito let out a rolling laugh before snapping his wings upwards and grasped the female.

With a brief scream of alarm from Varra, they both fell toward the star-riddled sea.

It was a violent fall. The female did her utmost to win free of the alien limbs that gripped her, giving Ito several kicks to the abdomen and a deep scratch on the underside of his left foreleg, but he maintained his grip. Varra's screams of anger became louder and louder, until one final cry was followed immediately by a splash.

Ito opened his eyes to the darkness of water. He still had hold of the struggling female, but she had redoubled her efforts to get free.

The male let his eyes fall shut with a slow and calm motion of his tail, and gave himself up to waiting. Each of his six limbs set and were numb to the violent thrashing of the angry female they held as he focused on his own body and the jarring coldness of the ocean around him.

And he waited.

In total, it took about a half hour for Varra's struggling to calm and slow to nothing more than the occasional twitch as she ran out of oxygen. Ito let his jaw part, and he clamped his gum around her longest left ear. The female started, but after a moment, began to hum deep in her throat as all of her muscles relaxed.

Ito's eye snapped open.

For just a moment, he was not able to move. He felt Varra shift, and he loosened his hold ever so slightly.

A soft warmth at his throat.

Ito's wings sprang open, and he threw himself upwards as strange and wonderful thoughts flooded his mind: Memories that weren't his; thoughts of another.

As he burst from the waves, he pumped his wings harder than he could ever remember in his life, forcing the sky to yield before him and let him pass. The warm presence that engulfed his mind followed him, and he was aware of Varra climbing by his side. The swarm of Shades fell beneath them far quicker than Ito would have thought possible; the clouds likewise.

Memories flowed swiftly between their minds, so much so that they became no more than a brilliant, golden web woven between them. It was a channel to a new life; a doorway to the future.

As Ito looked about with his physical eyes, there was nothing but stars. A horizon was not even evident, as the featureless ocean reflected the sky above. There, in the midst of this sea of stars, was Varra hanging with him in the silent, glimmering darkness.

Slowly, their wings closed, and the fall began.

And yet, they did not seem to be falling; there was no wind, no earth - just darkness, the stars, and her. Ito closed his eyes and he felt he need never open them again as foreign legs encircled him while his wings closed over two bodies.

Even the stars winked out now. The moment was perfect, and there was no longer any distinction between them. He knew simultaneously himself, and all that he was, along with Varra. They were one.

There was a violent impact. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the glowing warmth inside vanished.

Ito opened his eyes and found that he was falling; truly falling. The clouds whipped past and in the distance, he could see Varra and a male Shade flying each other, nipping and batting with tails and paws.

The presence and his knowledge of Varra were ripped away, and Ito found that he could not quite come to terms with their loss. Ice spread through his chest, and he could not bring himself to do anything other than stare as he fell away from what had been his.

He let out a gasp of pain as he hit the water, feeling the dull crack as his splayed wings snapped, but the pain was far away; he could not feel it when such icy agony already coursed through his center.

Even as he fell deeper into the darkness, he could still see the two shapes above glowing with brilliant golden light, dancing to and fro.

Thrilled, to have found each other.

Ito let his eyes fall closed.

XXX

Astrid

A dry, rasping sound greeted Astrid when she woke. The sound was swiftly followed by swirling star patterns that burst across the inside of her eyelids in strange mixtures of color. Pain followed that.

Dull, steady throbbing beat against the inside of her head like a mallet, deafening her and preventing her from concentrating on anything in particular.

After a few minutes in the darkness with nothing but the steady pounding and equally steady rapsing to keep her company, Astrid finally opened her eyes.

A starry sky obstructed by the dark and swaying shapes of trees greeted her, tinged slightly with splashes of color still rippling across the entire view. A light and frigid breeze played through the forest, causing rushes of goose flesh all along her entire body as she shivered.

That was when Astrid became aware of the slight warmth. Now that there was cold to compare with, she sensed that each rasp that she heard was accompanied by a brief flash of warmth somewhere on her body; her side, her calf, her arm. It was the strangest sensation. It was when the grating warmth blossomed at her chest that she was made suddenly aware that this was a thing to be concerned about.

Deftly, she lifted her head and looked downward. That action was immediately followed by a blast of pain that hit the back side of her head like a rock, and a sight that greatly disturbed her.

A large, spade-shaped head dipped low over her frame with two burning, green eyes appearing to float at its center. The thing's tongue was visible as it started to run up her abdomen, through a gaping hole in her shirt and just grazing the underside of her breast. Astrid's hand automatically clenched into a fist and wrenched itself up from its rest to connect solidly with the side of the dragon's head.

There was an aggrieved-sounding yowl, and the Viking found her vision obscured as black, scaly walls rose on all sides. Pressure constricted her body from her right side, and she found herself in a rock steady hold.

_Seems you treat dragons the same way you treat me._

Strangely, when 'Hiccup's' voice spoke, the thudding pain increased.

Astrid replied aloud. "If you had gone anywhere near my chest, I would not have left your head intact."

Gurgling emanated from the large mass beside her, accompanied by 'Hiccup's chuckles.

_Now shut up and let him finish cleaning your wounds._

"Cleaning my..." A painful image flashed through her mind; Hiccup, leaning back in the embrace of a massive reptile, with the beast's rough tongue lapping at his damaged face.

The scaly prison physically encasing her slowly broke apart, and the head turned to continue lapping at her abdomen. The warmth returned, seeping down through her skin and quieting her shivers.

The dragon only spent a few licks on each wound. After a few minutes had passed, he began to breath deeply, subsiding onto his side and once again and closing around her what Astrid now realized were his wings.

With a shuddering breath and a few very worried thoughts, she was pulled into the peaceful oblivion of sleep.

XXX

Ito

He started awake as he did every sunset; shaking the crushing weight of drowning away, as one might flick away a southern insect. The rest of the Wing was coming to as well, and Myzaflicked the last of his dream away so the others would not have to endure it.

Ito snarled quietly, dropping from the stone outcrop to the cave floor. Myza dropped beside him while the other Shades began to shift and make for their feet. Zonni was the first on her paws, and she swiftly moved to pace back and forth at the entrance of the chamber. Pyke and Crawn took their time standing and stretching each limb, drawing all manner of creaks and cracks from their joints as they did.

The Wing leader glanced at each Shade silently, then grunted his usual waking command and sent the group moving single file through the entrance.

The tunnel's darkness seemed thicker than usual as the Wing made its way through the winding passages.

Ito found that he had to struggle to keep his thoughts away from the dream. He knew that lingering amongst those memories would only distract him, but he found himself floating, unbidden through the watery murk. Alone.

A sharp snap echoed against the stone as Myza's tail flicked across Ito's ear, whipping it forward and producing a ringing in his skull.

Ito gave a guttural snarl and his right foreleg lifted, striking backwards with the joint. It met Myza's side and the female quickly backed away, returning to her place in line. Once the Wing was quiet again, Ito returned his attention to the way ahead.

What he found before him halted the entire line in its tracks. Another tunnel had intersected with theirs, and frozen mid-step at the center of the intersection was the _falseling _standing beside, of all Shades, _him_. Her strange body stood rigid and her eyes were wide, darting as if to see each individual detail of Ito's Wing. Behind her, Sycle glared with sullen rage.

For a moment, nothing moved. No creature breathed. All was silent.

The falseling's wings lifted slightly, and her head cocked in an attitude of defiance.

_"I hear you're interested in humans, Ito. Doesn't really seem to be a good match. Toothless is the only one I know of that can stand the boy's presence for long. And you want him for a mate?"_

The last word rose in pitch and dripped with sarcasm.

All four Shades standing behind Ito let out piercing and angry roars. The sound bounced around the stone and reverberated into the distance. The alien did not even flinch. She simply stood and gazed at Ito.

With a deep breath, Ito responded._"My actions are not of your concern, nor is the human. He does not belong here."_

"_Ito, it is most certainly my concern when someone moves to kill my Wing mate." _The female's voice seemed to deepen, echoing slightly through Ito's head. The word **mate **extended for an unnatural duration before it faded into the thick silence of the tunnel. Ito shivered.

"_Get out of our way, falseling."_

He could not have been sure of it, but as the glowing orbs of green turned away to continue up the passage, he thought he caught a flash of angry amber.

As she passed, Sycle stayed where he was.

"_I'd be careful Ito. I'm off to see the Three to tell them what I know of the human's dreams. He won't be so easily quelled."_

Without another word, he stalked after the alien.

XXX

Ito dug his claws into the ice, shoving his weight behind his shoulder and cancelling Zonni's momentum and then some as she charged at him. The female impacted the permafrosted ground violently, screeching when her left wing was dragged through a rough patch of ice while her body weighed down on it.

_"Don't be an idiot; a single look should tell you that there's no way to bully me around. You're smaller and faster, so use that to your advantage."_

The female rolled back onto her paws, shaking her head to clear the stars from her vision and distract herself from the pain in her largest limb. She snarled and sprinted to Ito's left, circling him and forcing him to constantly shift his paws to keep her in front of him. Ito knew exactly the tactic she was using, as well as the type of attack that would follow, and he snorted in disappointment; Zonni had such potential, and it was infuriating to see her waste it trying to be something she was not.

Sure enough, the small Shade pounced towards Ito, flaring her wings and constantly shifting her direction to try and get her opponent to move. The second the female's muscles tensed, Ito anchored himself once more, meeting his Wing mate's attack head-on and making her cry out when a huge, scared paw impacted her muzzle, driving her to the ground.

_"Enough!"_ Ito moved, planting one paw squarely on top of Zonni's neck and slamming the the onto her left hind leg, just below the hip. The young dragon cried out and thrashed as the piece of cartilage embedded in her muscle from when she was only a hatchling ripped the insides of her leg apart and set it on fire, but Ito stayed in place. "_Once you let an opponent with a size, weight and experience advantage get ahold of you, it's over!"_

_"I know!"_ Zonni screeched back, attempting to shift her old wound away from her aggressor. The male noticed this and pressed more of his weight down, drawing a prolonged wail from her.

_"Clearly, you do not. Otherwise, you would have kept your distance instead of charging directly at me."_ Ito finally relented, lifting his paws and allowing his Wing mate to get up. _"You have speed and agility over your opponent; maximize that advantage using disabling strikes and staying out of my range."_

Zonni snorted, shaking her head and leaping to her feet. Ito backed away, resuming his defensive stance. _"You also forget that the purpose of this exercise is to find an opening in my defenses, both to improve your own combat prowess and to help me find my own weaknesses. You cannot do that while pinned beneath me."_

Growling, Zonni shot a small fireball at her leader, but it was harmlessly deflected by his wings.

_"A waste of energy while I am capable of responding."_ To punctuate, Ito sent his own shot into the ice at Zonni's feet, sending another at her when she was blinded by the screen of white thrown in front of her. Hearing the impact and the screech as his second shot connected made his chest tighten and his hackles twitch; the young Shade could have easily dodged that, had she not been distracted by the first fireball.

As the older Shade snorted in disgust, there was a rush of air originating from behind the fading screen of ice and snow, and Ito raised his wing to cover his face once more, expecting another fireball. When one did indeed impact his limb, he did not hesitate to denounce the action once more.

"_Heavens take you! I swear to the stars if you do not stop..."_

Above him, a piercing whistle sounded, and even as Ito reflexively curled his limbs inwards, realizing that it was too late to counterattack, he couldn't help but feel slightly impressed with the speed at which his Wing mate had gotten into the air; the window of time between his wing obscuring his vision and lowering the limb was a fraction of a second.

The old Shade had barely enough time to form a shell around his ribs with his wings before Zonni landed on his back. The youngling's sustained fire bored into his neck while her claws slashed at his wing joints, tearing up scale, and for a moment, Ito was genuinely overcome with pain and unable to react. Pressing her advantage, Zonni turned her fire to the exposed flesh along the tears in his wings, and though Ito had been trying to keep his ear plates and eyes protected, his head thrashed and he screeched as his injuries were cauterized in the most excruciating manner.

As quickly as she had descended upon him, Zonni was off of his back, once more in the air. Having both wings and the back of his neck as injured as they were, Ito had difficulty moving once he heard his opponent send another fireball at him. While he was able to dodge to the left by rolling and avoid the shot, another two could be heard flying right at him already, and he braced for the impacts.

Zonni had amazing accuracy; both fireballs exploded on top of the burn mark on her leader's neck, driving his chin into the ice with their force and overloading his mind with pain.

_"How was that for a waste of energy? Do you submit, _Leader_?"_

Ito lifted his chin from the small indent in the ice Zonni had forced him to make, shaking his head violently. The action rekindled the inferno of pain in his neck, and he flared and stretched his wings simultaneously. While the agony would blur the vision of others, it brightened the details of the world around the scarred dragon; even from a distance, the exact pattern of Zonni's scale was distinguishable; the precise direction and force of the wind was apparent against his muzzle.

His posture and muscles relaxed as he spoke, though he remained perfectly alert of all around him.

_"Do not take damage done to a still-living body as a victory, Zonni." _Ito's words were slow and heavy, and they matched the rhythm of his pain-laden breath._"Submission is not offered by the loser. It is a spoil, taken by the victor by right of superiority."_

The final phrase rose until it was echoed by a furious roar from the old dragon. He leapt toward the startled she-dragon, who stumbled and fell back over her own legs and tail in an attempt to get out of the way. With a short cry, she tumbled over the lip of the drop.

Ito closed his maw and sat back, waiting until the figure of Zonni rose back into view.

_"If you had no wings, that would have been a kill."_

The distant figure let out a screech of defiance, making it very clear that she cared not for what would or could have happened.

It was not a very long wait before she was back within range. Once she was, the male Shade opened his jaw and fired three shots in rapid succession. The first, Zonni was able to avoid, but in doing so, she allowed the other two to hit, one on the underside of her left wing, the other grazing her right rib. The result was an awkward and graceless spiral that sent her plummeting into a snowdrift, with a mighty 'pfff' of snow marking her impact.

With a few bounds punctuated by bursts of pain, Ito rushed the spot where Zonni had fallen. The young dragon burst from the drift and met the oncoming male with a double-pawed strike from above. Ito stepped smartly to one side and sunk his right side paws deep into the snow. When Zonni landed where he'd been, he threw his left shoulder into her side, knocking the breath out of her and jumbling her thoughts.

The female tipped with a despairing snort, failing to right her balance with her wings as her left hind leg buckled, refusing to take the majority of her weight. As she fell, Ito turned rapidly and placed a paw against the she-dragon's wing close to the shoulder, as well as one against the side of her neck. He bore down and made the fall even swifter.

After the snow was finished settling, he pushed down on both points.

"_Yield."_

Not a request, no trace of concern - a simple, direct and powerful demand.

For a single moment, Zonni considered denying him before she realized that he would simply break her wing, then ask again. With one last deep breath, she responded.

"_Yield."_

Ito stepped away and lifted back onto his hind legs, drawing breath and releasing it in a high-pitched and short whistling note.

Myza, Pyke and Crawn turned away from each other near the edge of the cliff where they'd been sparring and loped over to the two.

"_Combat practice is done for today. Myza will oversee endurance practice on the cliff side. No flying. If you fall, you dive."_

When Ito said no more, Myza clicked and turned, pacing away. The others turned to follow her.

As she went, she sent a private thought back without turning.

"_Is it really so wise to push yourself just to teach a lesson on the eve of mortal battle?"_

Ito remained silent.

After the his Wing had disappeared over the edge, Ito broke into a run and lifted into the air, letting the frigid fingers of wind caress and soothe the cauterized scratches in his wing(s). With fevered pumps, he climbed up into the thin air where nothing else flew, not even clouds. He locked his wings and closed his eyes.

Waiting.

XXX

Unknown

_The heavyset Red Scales made good time through the trees, sniffing at the air at each intake of breath for any sign of the intruders. Tiny-horned Yellow Scales rushed over and through the trees, ensuring a clear view of the forest floor. High above, the spine-tailed Blue Scales stayed hidden in the clouds, with eyes darting back and forth for any sign of sleek-winged Black Scales among the clouds. A northern Shade haunted these woods and skies, denying control. It was maddening. _

_Behind the lines of forward hunters came the power to enforce them; round-bodied Tiny Wings in the air, and sickly-scaled Two Heads on the ground. When the hunters identified their quarry, these reserves would surround and decimate them._

_It was silent and uneventful for most of the day, but as the sun arked high overhead, sounds of humans began to waft in from the distance, halting the hunting party in their tracks and causing all to freeze._

_After only a few seconds, every body began a faster pace through wood and cloud, seeking out the foolish voices and their owners._

_The hunt was on._

XXX

Astrid

Astrid woke to warmth - close, tender and comforting warmth that encased her on all sides. She felt as though she were resting in bed with her mother, like she had so many years ago.

But this was different; something was holding her, something large and strong and masculine. She could feel muscle rippling against her back as breath whistled in and out of a cavernous set of lungs.

After a moment, she remembered.

Without pausing to notice that the pain was gone, Astrid pushed upwards and outward with her hands, and once they encountered scaly resistance, she shoved.

The wings broke apart surprisingly easily, unfolding and opening a view of the sky that allowed harsh and brilliant sunlight to rush in and blind her. Astrid clamped her eyes shut and rolled away from the beast that she knew was so close, but she did so with half the speed she might have, as though her heart really wasn't in escaping. When she could no longer feel leathery scale beneath her, she rose to a crouch and placed her face into the crook of her arm, shielding her eyes.

There was a groggy-sounding snuffle to her left. Carefully, she removed her eyes from cover little by little, allowing them to adjust to the glare.

When they were finally open, she beheld a familiar scene; around her was the greenery of the forest stretching away in all directions, and before her lay an enormous black shape with a small yellow bundle beside it, just beneath the shade of a massive fallen tree.

If she squinted, she could just make out the shape of a dark hole in the rise behind the tree among it's roots past the glare of the morning sun.

Astrid looked downward and checked herself - there were several gaps in most of her clothing; at least four tears were visible along the length of her legs, while three easily-visible marks ran along her arms.

She wasn't sure what her back looked like, but as she bent and twisted her spine, an itchy tug signalled that there was some damage there as well.

She found, however, that the cuts and gashes in the skin beneath the clothing looked to be more than a week old, all having formed healthy scabs and itching slightly. The deepest was the vertical scratch that had travelled a brief span between her navel and ribs. That had been the one that had woken her when the dragon...

She stopped the thought, shuddering slightly. As the tremor passed, the yellow bundle suddenly stirred, and a small head popped up with eyes half lidded. It panned for a moment, as though searching for something. When its tired eyes crossed the place where she stood, it froze, giving a little yip of excitement and bolting towards her so fast that it tripped.

When the small dragon untangled its tiny claws, it leapt and scrambled up the left leg of Astrid's clothing before coming to rest on her shoulder and shoving its head so hard against the Viking's cheek that she almost lost her balance. The thrumming coming from the small reptile's chest sent a strange, warm tingling down Astrid's spine.

A loud and vibrant gurgle sounded from the black mass, and in seconds it had rolled to its feet and started to flap the dirt off of its wings.

"Goody. Now everyone's awake." Astrid's tone was only slightly sarcastic. She let her hand travel over the strange scabbed flesh on her left arm as she walked over to the Night Fury.

She noticed a few strange marks on the leathery scale; there were white lines running across the surface in a few places, but mostly a speckling of the odd scales across his back and along his wings.

As she neared, he looked up and gave her a snort.

"So what in all the hels is going on here?" Astrid dropped to her knees and sat cross legged. At once the Terror slithered off her shoulder and into her lap. Her hand absently rose to stroke its flank and scratch its eye ridges. The Terror gave an enormous thrum. "I'm a Viking. I hold to the traditions and ways of our people. My single ambition is to fight off the dragons and win peace for my village. Now what am I? I'm running around in the woods, skulking and hiding from dragons, in the company of two other dragons!"

The black dragon gave another gurgle.

"And gods damn you, stop that horrible chuckling!"

_I thought we didn't know if it was laughter or not. That was just my guess._

"Oh! And then there's you; the beastly little punk that is so annoying that he continues to pester me after he's left the island! Why are you in my head?!" Astrid threw a hand up to her temple and hit her fist against the bone once.

"Ow."

_Ow! Stop that! Lack of an uninjured brain is all you need! Just... calm down. None of our scaly friends are freaking out, neither should you._

Astrid took a deep breath and rested her hands on her knees, attempting to let all her concerns fall away, instead trying to focus on the positive.

"I suppose you three did help me out of that Terror pile yesterday. Was it yesterday? I don't even know how long I've been out. Whatever." Astrid glanced down at the scabs on her arms and abdomen. "I don't forget those that help me."

Without knowing why exactly she did it, she held her hand out to the beast, palm up.

The Night Fury stared at it for a while, nostrils flaring and contracting as it breathed deeply, ears flipping forward and back, pausing in the middle. Slowly, it's head began to fall closer to the open palm. Astrid simply sat still, hoping against hope that the beast wouldn't just take a length off her arm.

As the scaled face came closer, a strange warmth bloomed in her. Not in her spine this time, rather, centering in her skull. It felt soft, quiet, and overall, peaceful. With its coming, a dull ache receded from Astrid's head that she hadn't even noticed she's had.

Just as the snout was about to brush against her skin, a loud sound echoed from behind her.

All three reacted at once. The Terror shot past Astrid's side and faced the sound, while Astrid twisted onto hand and knee, drawing her blade from its sheath with her free hand. The Night Fury rose above both and opened its wings, baring teeth that seemed to appear from nowhere. All three froze.

Two golden-haired humans came tumbling through the undergrowth punching and kicking, each attempting to gain advantage over the other.

Astrid was the first to relax, and quickly realize that the two were making a dangerous racket. She sheathed her blade angrily and stepped up to the writhing mass, grabbing both heads solidly in each hand and cracking them together. They fell apart, panting and cross eyed.

"And you two!" Her voice was now angry, while maintaining low volume. The result was a guttural hiss that had both of the Twins' attention quickly. "We are hiding. Do you understand that? _Hiding _from the dragons in the village. Why? Because there are **too many of them for us to fight**! How exactly do you expect to remain unnoticed if you're shouting your heads off every damn time one of you feels slighted?!"

As she spoke, the Fury came to stand behind her and the Terror quickly climbed to her shoulder. For a moment, both seemed suitably chastised, and Astrid was about to turn away when Tuffnut suddenly jumped to his feet. He poked her dead in the chest and hissed back.

"What exactly do you think **you're **doing? You run off into the woods without a second glance our way after that _beast_," He gestured behind her to the Fury, which growled, low and warning, "then it drags you back here in the middle of the night, both of you beat to hell and starts licking your wounds!" Tuffnut's voice was building now, overlapping his caution and becoming a shout. "Who the hell do **you **think **you **are, you damned hypocrite!?"

Astrid could not help herself; she ignored the warning whimpers and nips from the Terror and the low snarl from the Night Fury, and shouted back in his face.

"I'M THE ONE DAMN VIKING ON THIS ENTIRE ISLAND THAT IS RESISTING A SIEGE! WHERE I GET MY HELP IS NO CONCERN OF..." She stopped, hearing the resounding echo of her voice travel away into the strangely silent forest. The Terror was yipping into her ear and biting it rather hard, while the Night Fury backed away and escalated its snarl to a full on growl.

Movement near Tuffnut's feet caught Astrid's eye; green-tinted fog was rolling out of the bushes from behind the Twins. Ruffnut yelped and leapt to her feet.

"**ZIPPLEBACK!**" Astrid's yell was drowned by roars. In the distance, what sounded like a score of draconic voices howled into the forest.

"Run!"

Astrid turned around and started sprinting while Tuffnut turned a different direction. "No, you idiot, they'll corner you at the base of the mountain!" But Ruffnut had already taken off after him.

Suddenly, Astrid's shirt gave a horrible jerk, and she found herself rising away from the ground amidst a swirl of dust and grit. When she looked up, she found the paws of the Night Fury and the sky opening up before them.

For just a moment, she was relieved. That was, until dark shapes began to appear from the clouds, diving fast and letting out distant roars.

_We're surrounded._

"They found the den!"

Astrid found herself falling, though she managed to balance her landing and come up with blade drawn. Behind her, the Fury landed heavily and started to whip his head in all directions, ear plates twitching.

More fog was billowing out of the greenery now, and Astrid found that it was becoming hard to see. However, she did catch a silhouette, and it was of one that she knew all too well.

_Nightmare!_

_"__**RUN**__!"_

The command came in a voice that was so different from 'Hiccup's that for a second, Astrid thought she'd heard it aloud. The voice was deep, resonating, and deathly masculine; everything that Hiccup's voice most certainly was not.

Regardless, she knew what would happen if the Nightmares lit in Zippleback fog. Both she and the Fury turned as one and pelted away through the trees. The Terror, which Astrid just now remembered was still clinging to her shoulder, gave a squeal of fear and clung even tighter to her, going so far as to grab a stray strand of hair in its mouth.

For a few, brief seconds, Astrid thought that they were actually managing to escape.

Then came a howling rush like a gale force wind whipping through the trees, striking her face and hurtling back toward the way they'd come. The trees before her suddenly glowed a sickly orange.

The Fury stopped with a yelp and flapped his wings once, dispelling the fog around their legs before throwing his wings around the Viking, replacing the world with darkness.

A gut-wrenching roar vibrated the ground beneath Astrid's feet, sending a shudder through the leathery hide all around her. The Terror emitted a pitiful whimper.

Near the ground, she could see the orange-yellow glow of flame as it licked at the undersides of the Fury's wings, heating the inside of her cage like a furnace. He gave no sound of complaint.

As if from nowhere, pain erupted in Astrid's skull. The throbbing pound that had woken her returned with a vengeance as an image flashed before her eyes; tree's all around wreathed with flame, but directly ahead, in the far distance, a sliver of blue sky. Astrid shook her head, and the ache faded along with the image.

Once again the unfamiliar, masculine voice echoed from nowhere.

_"Now."_

The wings opened and heat blasted against the Viking's face, causing tears to spring in her eyes as the smell of singing hair assaulted her. Ahead, she glimpsed a sliver of blue through a gauntlet of burning pillars, and she took off. Sounds of thrashing and raging followed her as trees were smashed and bark rent by wildly swinging claws.

She didn't spare them a glance. Trees fell past and the heat lessened slightly as they went, but a direct line to safety meant brushing far too close to the inferno. Bobbing, ducking and pushing through whatever vegetation she met and traveling in as straight a line as possible, the blue sliver began to grow closer and brighter.

Suddenly, she was away from the flames! Ahead of the fire! She was almost at the forest's edge when the Nadder dropped down in front of her.

"_Down."_

This time, the voice was calm and reassuring. She skidded to a stop and dropped to one knee. Strange blue light lit the forest for the length of a blink, and an explosion marked its passing. When Astrid lifted her head, the Nadder was thrashing on its back. She was on her feet again in seconds and stumbling past it.

All at once, the ocean opened up before her. The sea sparkled and blazed in the light of the rising sun, and the hoards of fluffy clouds marched their way across the blue sky above. The salt in the air was so pungent that it drove the smell of burning and smoke from her nose almost instantly. Earth gave way to air as it dropped away into the cliffs that ringed much of the island of Berk. Below the waves crashed angrily against the rocky shore that defied them.

Having taken all these new sights and smells in, Astrid was forced to return her attention to the forest behind as several roaring cries echoed through the trees.

When she turned, she found an enormous column of black smoke billowing from the trees. The shapes of Nadders and Gronkles were visible, darting in and out of the blackness that interrupted the endless blue and white around it.

Looking down and through the trees, Astrid could see the sickly orange glow of burning and the rapid flashing movement of dragons as they milled about. She turned and glanced at her Night Fury.

He was also flicking his gaze between the forest and the sky, but after a moment, he turned away, emitting a strange whining sound that rolled like a snarl. He placed his tail to the forest and looked out over the ocean.

For a moment, Astrid was filled with a terrible chest constricting dread. If he left her alone, she was done for; an easy target.

Then, the Fury spread its wings and turned its head back to stare at her. She did as she thought she'd never do and threw all the pleading she could muster into her face.

The beast's right foreleg bent and dipped slightly, the right wing folding back. It jerked its head, seeming to beckon.

With short, hesitant steps, she pulled herself up onto the dragon's back, positioning her legs so that they hung in front of the beasts wings, like Hiccup had done.

"I swear, if you give so much as a hint of something that sounds like 'I told you so' I will personally kill you if I see you again."

_Who? Me? You wound me, my dear._

The dragon gave a growl that sounded annoyed, and the muscles in the shoulders beneath her seat rippled.

And then, they were falling.

The wind rushing past deafened Astrid, and she found herself staring back up at the rocky cliff edge that had held her so firmly and securely mere seconds before. Now, her hair fluttered around her line of sight with lazy, flowing motions. It looked almost peaceful.

There was a leathery snap, and Astrid found the world whirling around her as gravity did its best to yank her off of her perch. Adrenaline coursed into her veins, and her legs locked tightly around the Fury's neck. It was a close call at points, but she stayed connected to the single point of stability in a maelstrom of movement and color.

It was as if a sheet had been ripped away from her face; the whirl of color condensed into an image in the blink of an eye, and Astrid found herself sitting high over the sea. Her stomach seemed to fall away as everything around her snapped into sudden focus.

The ocean stretched out forever, below and before her. The only halt to it was the horizon where it seemed to push hard against the sky as the sky pressed into it - two combatting shades of blue that had separated from one another.

Beneath her, the dragon gave a warning grunt and tilted into a turn. Astrid now looked over her right shoulder to the island of Berk. The rocky cliffs now rose above her, and the column of smoke seemed higher than ever. Also evident were the shapes that dove from the cloud and made their way directly toward them.

At least ten Nadders.

Her first instinct was to once again pull her dagger from its place at her waist. Realizing that this was useless, however, she turned and laid herself as flat as she could on the Fury's neck.

As he completed the bank, the black dragon leveled out and dipped toward the sea. Astrid's stomach did a flip and attempted to expulse its meager contents. With effort, the girl kept her past foraged meal in check and gripped even tighter to the reptile beneath her. A glance over her shoulder told her that the Nadders were diving in pursuit.

Facing back to the front, Astrid caught sight of a large massing of mist flying into the air far ahead at sea level. The wind made it difficult to see clearly, and she had to blink often, but the mist cloud seemed to be speckled and darkened by large, indistinct shapes.

Glanced higher, she was able to deduce what the shapes were.

Directly ahead was a large cluster of rock spires and towers that had been carved out of the cliff's face by the merciless ocean, obscured by mist as the sea battered it relentlessly; the perfect place to lose a pursuer - for a competent, unladen flyer.

Astrid felt her chest constrict as her already short breath became shallow and rapid.

"Please tell me he's not.."

Her words were stolen as the Fury beneath her tilted into a dive that promised to smash them against the ocean. Had Astrid had any air in her lungs, she would have screamed. As it was, she only gasp and opened her mouth wide like a fish taken from the water.

As they gained speed, the water in her eyes began to pool at the corners, only to be blown back toward her ears.

_It seems to me that your life now relies on your ability to not fall off, so... hang in there._

"Shut up! I swear to the gods, just shut - !" Once again, her words were stolen as the dragon beneath her gave a beat of his wings and tilted his body to pass through a crevice between two rapidly approaching spires of stone.

The first few curves weren't so bad. None of them really tested the strength of her hands, but she found that after the first few, the rocks grew closer and closer together, seeming to reach toward her in an attempt to knock her free.

Then, the first flip came. The fog had nearly stripped her of sight, so she had no idea why the dragon had felt it necessary, but all at once, a turn changed into a hanging spin. Astrid felt the rock that passed above her pull at her hair as the sea and sky changed places. Aching pain pulsed through her hands as they constricted against the Fury's neck, but they coped with the task.

Directly after they had righted themselves, just as Astrid was about to consider herself lucky to be alive, the dragon made a turn at a nearly right angle, fitting itself through a gap that the Viking would have considered impossible. The forces straining against her grip forced it to slide part of the way off the dragon's neck, and for a single horrific moment, Astrid was sure that she was about to be snuffed out like a candle against the rocks.

While she remained alive, she found herself impacted from the front by a large amount of frigid sea water. The salt burned in her eyes, and she instantly felt all trace of warmth leave her body. As shudders began to rack her frame, Astrid closed her eyes and focussed every tiny fragment of her being on holding to the wildly-undulating reptile beneath her.

Time ceased to exist; it could have been a few seconds or hundreds of hours before Astrid opened her eyes again. What prompted her to open them, however, was unexpected. She felt something soft brush against her back, and when she finally managed to wrench open her eyelids, she beheld the silhouette of the Night Fury's head, framed by tree-filtered sunlight.

_Thanks, big guy._

'Hiccup's' voice sounded just as hollow and exhausted as Astrid felt. Above her, the dragon gave an appreciative snort, before flopping down into the grass beside her with a heavy breath and a tremorous thud.

XXX

Alda

"_Sloppy. Try again."_

Hiccup, resting in a crouched position, nodded and closed his eyes. For a brief few seconds, there was silence, but it was shattered as the part-human threw out his hand. The piercing blue of a Rune flashed, and the boy disappeared behind an onrushing wall of fire.

Alda took one step back and brought his left wing forward, allowing the fire to flow past the protective scale. At the same time, he braced his hind legs and whipped his tail in an arc. Midway through, it connected solidly with an object, and there was a muffled "Uhf!" The old dragon turned slowly and looked down on the form of Hiccup, curled over and attempting to force air back into his lungs.

"_You used far too much of your Fire for such a large and ostentatious display that screamed of diversion. You'll never get at Ito's soft spot's that way. You must maximise your natural advantages. Don't allow your power to become a crutch."_

Hiccup did not reply. Instead, he ceased wheezing and pulled his foot up towards his head. Alda saw the flash of the Heart's Fire, but could not see the Rune that Hiccup had drawn on the sole of his foot. The boy repeated the process with his other foot. He then leapt to his feet and gave himself a square stance. Alda spaced his feet apart and lifted his wings slightly.

"_Again."_

For a moment, they simply gazed at each other. Then, the boy turned away and started to run off in an arc around the old dragon. Alda snorted and followed him with his eyes.

After Hiccup had made three laps around his teacher, the Shade sighed and stopped following him, simply listening instead to the thudding of feet against stone. Hiccup ran another lap.

"_I doubt that Ito will simply sit and allow you to run circles around him. He'd have fired at you by now."_

"_That, dear teacher, was _your _mistake. Not mine."_

Suddenly, the footsteps disappeared.

Alda's head snapped around to the place he'd last heard the steps. Nothing but empty blackness greeted him. He began to turn on the spot, searching for the boy, but it was far too late. A sharp pain shot through his hind right leg, followed by a brief pressure on his back and an equally sharp pain in his left wing midjoint. Both limbs spasmed inwards, and when a third pain lanced through his left foreleg, Alda's unbalanced body collapsed on the spot.

A single point of cold ice pressed into Alda's forehead. When he glanced up, he found Hiccup, grinning and holding the point of the shorter Weh blade between his teacher's eyes.

"_My advantages are speed and size, correct?"_

After a deep breath, Alda opened his mouth and closed his eyes.

An explosion followed.

When Alda opened his eyes, he found Hiccup, leg coverings steaming slightly, flat on his back a few winglengths away.

"_If you have the opening, go for the kill. Ito will do the same, and it's you that I want to survive."_

"_Looks like you might be disappointed, then." _Hiccup brushed the soot from what little skin he had left. _"Killing is something I fled from on Berk." _

Alda gave a quiet snarl and planted a paw on the semi-human's chest, forcing all of his air out and placing his head directly above the boy's face.

"_You can and you will kill, for Toothless. And I'll prove it with one sojourn into your soft, little head." _

Hiccup gasped as his mental barrier was swatted away like a leaf in a storm. Memories from his childhood began to race past his mind's eye faster than he could keep up. He caught little pieces of images here and there; his house; the first sheep he'd ever sheared; the other teenagers; a younger and less violent Astrid.

Abruptly, the images stopped, and Hiccup watched as a figure came falling out of the darkening sky. He'd reacted on instinct, leaping and turning the falling blade away from his beloved's unprotected neck, sending it plunging into the attacker's gut and delivering a blow to the side of its neck as it passed him in the air. He heard the dull crunching thud as Snotlout hit the Earth behind,and the taken life meant nothing to him.

Suddenly, Hiccup was able to sense the alien presence in his thoughts, a massive and methodical intelligence that took little notice of the fact that this was _his _head. With a sudden burst of anger, he rebelled and struck out at the alien presence. He was more than a little surprised when the consciousness fled and left him.

When Hiccup opened his eyes, he found nothing but the ceiling. When he sat up, Alda came into view, sitting at about a winglength's distance away.

"_I apologize, that was incredibly discourteous of me. I simply wished to prove my point."_

With a grunt, Hiccup lifted himself to a crouch.

"_Do you see? This fight is not for your own life; it's for Toothless. He can't possibly afford to lose you." _

The boy did not respond; he simply stayed there, breathing deeply and staring into the distance.

Alda waited.

After five minutes by human reckoning, Hiccup stood and silently paced forward. Alda felt warmth seep into his old bones as the human wrapped scaled arms around the frail and sagging scale of his neck.

"_Thank you, Teacher." _

As Alda thrummed in a pleased manner, the sound of clawed paws hitting stone echoed from the Hall's entrance, and both glanced up.

At the entrance-opening stood Toothless, and beside him, the smaller form of Skuru. Skuru placed his left leg before him and sunk low so that his chin nearly brushed the floor. Alda nodded his head.

Hiccup bounded immediately toward Toothless, but a sharp click from Alda's jaw brought him up short. He turned instead to Skuru and lifted his arms slightly on either side, opening his palms outward.

Skuru gave a gurgling chuckle and lifted his wings from his back, angling them downward so that the underside was hidden.

"_You've taught the shrimp ancient etiquette, Teacher?" _At once, Hiccup leapt onto Skuru and threw his arms around the enormous neck, using his momentum to bring the young Shade down to the ground.

"Not really, no." Now Skuru, Hiccup, and Alda were laughing while Toothless stood off to the side, shifting his weight from side to side.

As soon as he noticed his mate's discomfort, Hiccup's laughter cut off. He leapt from his place on the floor and once again stopped, this time in front of Toothless. Neither moved, and Alda watched with curiosity; such things hadn't happened to him in many decades. After a solid minute of silence between the two, Toothless broke free from his frozen posture and bowled the boy over.

Toothless quickly pinned the part-human and started to place his nose against every possible surface he could find, inhaling deeply and occasionally tasting the dark scale. Hiccup lifted a hand, placing it against the scale just beneath his dragon's eye emitting a strange croon that seemed to combine the voices of human and Shade.

Skuru snorted and proceeded to Alda's side.

"_Sycle and Ryshkaa are off talking to the Three, trying to convince them that Hiccup's trustworthy." _The words bore the soft whispering quality that indicated a private conversation. Alda responded in kind.

"_Indeed? Perhaps I should go and ensure that my dear sibling's don't do anything rash. Watch over these two and keep them here until the time of combat comes." _

As Skuru inclined his head, Alda stepped over to Hiccup and Toothless, and spoke privately to the partial human.

"_Remember Hiccup, you have advantages over Ito that he will not expect. Exploit them, and don't you dare attempt to be courteous. If you see an opening, kill him. That will be his intention for you. I doubt you'll survive if he wins."_

"_If he wins, it will be because I died." _The cold tone and iron force of the words shocked Alda slightly. He'd never heard the boy speak thus. Toothless was looking up at Alda now, head tilted.

"_That, at least, is in your favor." _With those words, Alda acted impulsively for the first time in a very long time and pulled from his mind a very specific and intricate Rune. It glowed with a strange golden light rather than the typical azure in his mind's eye.

Very deftly, and with skill evident of more than three hundred years of practice, Alda circumvented the passive mental barriers of the part-human and Toothless, tucking the Rune away amongst the thoughts of Hiccup's unconscious mind, removing a simpler and dimmer Rune as he did.

It was over in seconds, and Hiccup felt no more than a slight mental brush. At once, Alda felt as if he had lost something precious.

"_Good luck, youngling. And Toothless - if you interfere, the entire population of Home Cave will bear down and destroy you. For Hiccup's sake, let him take care of himself."_

Toothless gave a whine of protest, but he was silenced as Hiccup reached up with his neck and licked the tip of the young Shade's nose.

"_I hope to see you both after Hiccup is victorious."_

With that, Alda turned away and made a slow and steady trek out through the entrance, leaving Hiccup and Toothless to grapple desperately on the Hall's floor.

XXX

Ito

The thin air bore a strangely piercing chill. Ito found that he could not quite relax as he floated above the frail wisps of moisture that struggled through the frigid air.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her - Varra, sparkling and shimmering below, before he shook his head and banished the vision. He must focus. If the human was to answer, he could not allow himself to lapse into painful memories. This fight was the present; it had nothing to do with Sycle.

Deep breaths penetrated each and every pocket of his lungs as he strived to forget. He closed his eyes again, seeking the peaceful oblivion that his mentor had shown him so many years ago. Her face stared back.

That rest had been lost to him, and that loss doomed him to live with his anger even with the confrontation approaching.

With a sigh, he looked down; a large mass of black was gathering on the glowing snow at the base of the mountain that stood sentinel over the ice, stark against the moonlight. The moon was almost full, and the winds calm in their freezing bite. It was a good night.

Ito unlocked his wings with a click. The snap was accompanied by the slight pain that had come with age and been accented by his recent burns, and deftly, he angled into a spiraled descent, specifically choosing not to dive, so as not to mimic that long-ago fall.

As the cliff rose to meet him, a quiet bundle of voices rose to meet him. Many were excited, others confused, and a few were angry. Most of the anger was directed toward the human for creating this stir when many had speculated the time for action was close at claw. The hominid was a distraction from Home Cave's true purpose- a nuisance.

And tonight, Ito would extinguish him.

With a slight flap and a few jogging steps, he landed amongst the throng and at once, the conversation hushed as all gathered started to back away, opening space and creating a large ring of spectators.

Ito's eye flicked about as he searched for the two, for he knew that they would arrive together, but he was disappointed; the human was nowhere to be seen. While this fact was evident to him immediately, it took a few moments before the throng realized it. Ito stood alone and unchallenged.

Whispers erupted all around; if the stripling and his pet did not show, they would be expelled from Home Cave. No Shade held regard or respect for one that did not respond to a mating challenge. Ito cared not if they showed; either way, his goal was accomplished. In fact, it would be better if they did not show, as the others would cease to speak of them at once, rather than in twenty years.

Of course, Ito had no such luck.

A piercing shriek rent the night as air whistled through a Shade's laterals. Everyone including Ito jerked their heads skywards to view the spectacle, though the challenger thought he knew what he'd find.

What he saw surprised him; it was not just the stripling and his pet that dove toward the ground from on high, they led Sycle's Wing in a four-point formation.

Upon seeing them, Sycle's eyes locked with his. For a brief moment, Ito glimpsed brutality and fire, but it was extinguished by darkness as the five Shades banked away and landed quietly outside the crowd.

Ito lost sight of them then, but the whispers made it evident what was happening.

The human leapt off of his mate, though his hand never left the young Shade's neck. As each of the other four members of the Wing came to him, starting with Sycle, they touched his hand with the center of their snout while the human 'smiled' the entire time.

Ito shuddered. Those four had invested themselves in this human - there was a knowing look in each of their expressions as they touched him; they had dreamed together.

Another shiver passed through Ito's spine. That ended tonight.

The crowd parted, and a path was formed into the ring. At the end, the human walked with his hand on the stripling, and the young dragon's wing hooked around his side.

When they started forward, absolute silence fell. When they reached the edge of the ring, their crunching footsteps disappeared as well, leaving nothing but the wind dancing across the bare stone of the mountain.

"_Ito. Please take this chance to reconsider."_

The old dragon gave a snort and placed his right fore paw forward, lifting his still-furled wings slightly. The human took in a large breath and released it all at once. He turned and dropped to one knee, exposing his back to Ito and placing his face against the same spot on the stippling that the others had pressed against his hand.

A single, soft whimper was heard, breaking the silence as easily as Ito could break the permafrost beneath him.

In a single, fluid motion, the human rose and turned, at the same time casting off his large over-garment and throwing it into the snow, leaving his body bare but for the smooth black hide covering his legs.

He stood highlighted in the moonlight, covered in scales with patches of human skin showing here and there, defying nature in every aspect and standing unashamed of his evil. He proceeded forward, shattering the silence with each crunching step.

Ito flexed his wings, allowing them to release the aching creak that age brought and readied them for swift action.

The boy stopped a few winglengths outside of claw-strike distance. He lifted his arms.

Ito was about to fire a shot before he saw the strange blades; they absorbed light like deep ice holes and seemed to stick to the human's waist, and left arm of their own accord.

"_I don't have proper claws yet, so these will have to do." _As he spoke, Hiccup lifted his right hand and pulled the blade from his left arm, as the left hand reached across to grasp the handle at his right hip.

Ito let his anger rise slightly beyond his strict control, and a snarl erupted from his gut, rippling and changing as it made its way up through his throat. The boy responded by lifting the blades up and away from his scales, and letting them rest in a ready position, the shorter just below eye level and the longer near his navel, both horizontal.

"_It truly makes your scales crawl, doesn't it?" _The strange, dark eyes rose and met Ito's.

"_It is revolting. _You _are revolting." _A violent snarl was audible behind the human, and Ito could tell that the young Shade was protesting this insult of the creature he had chosen to pair with. _"You both are."_

Ito's claws scratched the ice suddenly. Hiccup noticed the abrasive sound and glanced down to his opponent's paws.

The second his opponent's eyes were away from his face, Ito expelled the gases he had been building up since the end of his roar in a single, explosive charge.

Ito watched as the human reacted a fraction of a second too late; though he had moved his torso away from the epicenter of the impact, the majority of the shot connected with his left arm, and the force of the blast whipped the boy around, causing him to stumble.

The old dragon sprang forward immediately. Bounding across the gap in moments, the Shade detected a muted blue glow from beneath the hybrid's feet before his claw rent the air the human's head had been occupying an instant ago.

Landing back on all fours, Ito beat his wings twice and pushed with his forelegs, gaining altitude faster than most any Shade in Home Cave. He rolled backwards through the air, twisting his body after tucking his wings and sending hundreds of glistening shards of ice skyward as he impacted the ice directly in front of Hiccup.

The boy was winded from the amount of Fire he had expended in such a short amount of time, and he was rubbing his wounded arm furtively. As Ito took in this image of frailty, there was a strange tugging at the corner of his thoughts, as though this scene reminded him of something.

He pushed the sensation to the side and gave the human no pause. His jaws opened, intent on capturing the mutant's head between them, but the cold flash of a black anlace deterred his fatal strike; though he may have been able to clamp down on the boy's neck in time, there was no stopping that blade. With its current course, it would sever several tendons in his neck before stopping.

Rather than continue his attack, Ito took a lunging step forward and pushed his entire head into the human's chest, tucking in his ear plates to let the blade sail over his neck as he did so. Hiccup was carried backwards by the force of the impact, and Ito immediately dropped to his stomach to avoid the swinging slash he knew would come from the second blade.

The matching weapon sliced through nothing but cold air, and Ito seized a covered leg in his jaws as he built a small pocket of gas in his throat. As the Shade applied force to his bite, tearing the coverings over the flesh to shreds, Hiccup cried out in pain. His free foot flashed blue again and curled towards his chest, then shot forward as Ito ignited the gas.

The human's leg traveled faster than should have been physically possible. The limb caught him right between the eyes, and the kick was enough to send a flash of white through his mind, accompanied by a jolt of intense pain. Ito reflexively opened his maw and scrambled to his paws, and the ignited gases flashed harmlessly in the air between the two duelists.

_Three young Shades bounded through the snow. Their paws, not yet sure enough to find the firm places, fell through and buried their legs often, but they continued on, whimpering as they did toward the mountain with the howls of lupines echoing on the air._

Ito pounded the ice below him with a clawed foot, releasing a stream of fire in a curved line above him. He allowed the radiating pain from his snout to flow through his body, and the world glowed silver in the light of the moon as Hiccup backpedaled to his feet. The way the light caught the human's scales was not lost on Ito. Nor was the slight shaking of the boy's limbs and breath.

"_What was that, Ito? You seemed fairly young. Scared, too. When did you become so... callous?" _

Ito curled his body inward, rapidly flexing and relaxing all of his muscles as he shielded his sides with his wings. "_You distract from the fight by picking at my mind because you can't hope to survive a direct confrontation. What have you but words?"_

"_My words are giving you pause, aren't they?"_

In response, Ito roared, spitting another stream of fire in front of him and forcing the boy to move. More flames chased the human, and a third glow from the boy's feet sprang to life as the fire cornered him on all sides.

Hiccup shot dozens of feet into the air, and Ito's tensed limbs rocketed him to the space just above the hybrid. His wings flared and spun his body upside down as he neared the boy, and at the exact moment Ito saw the human's arms tense, moving to position his daggers above his head to intercept the Shade, the old dragon extended his head backwards and angled his wings, altering his course midflight.

Instead of passing above Hiccup, Ito sailed below him, and the dragon's wings snapped upwards along with his paws, trapping the boy's lower half in scales as black claws ripped the flesh from his legs.

The distressed screech of a Shade could be heard below, as well as a shuffle of snow as other Shades moved to block the race-traitor.

Ito only dragged the boy through the air for a moment before releasing him, but he held on a millisecond too long. Hiccup instinctively slashed at the wings encasing him, and the tip of the shorter blade pierced the leading edge of his left wing. The Shade screeched as the cold point ripped through his limb, carving a line through the solid scales on the very edge of his wing and causing his dark blood to splatter the ice below.

Neither one landed gracefully; Ito was unable to roll back to his stomach completely and landed on one paw, tumbling into the ice, while Hiccup landed on the small of his back, driving the wind from his lungs and causing his grip on his shorter blade to falter.

Ito's ears perked at the sound of metal hitting ice, and he thrashed his limbs, trying to right himself before Hiccup could recover. His injured wing gave him pause, and though he hoped against it, the slight delay had allowed the human to regain his footing, though not his lost weapon.

Ito's irises contracted as time crawled to a stop, allowing him to take full stock of the situation; Hiccup was just getting to his feet, and it looked as though he was still winded from his fall. The boy had seen his blade and was moving for it. Though the human was closer to the anlace by a few feet, if Ito acted instantly he could beat the mutant to it and possibly take a chunk out of an arm while he did so. At the very least, if Hiccup had the presence of mind to use his remaining blade, Ito would be able to deny the hybrid his second.

Time returned to normal very slowly. Ito had started forward, and as his paws impacted the ground in slow motion, Hiccup's eyes glanced up. The green orbs were wide with desperation in that extended moment, but even as Ito watched, that emotion shifted into something new, something Ito knew very well; determination.

The human's fingers tried to crush the handle of his blade as he changed his course. Instead of making a bid for his fallen weapon, the boy raised his dagger and made straight for Ito.

_The three young dragons searched in vain for a suitable place to dig a temporary den in which to hide, but all of the snow was too loose and too dry, the moisture having fallen to lower elevations where the wolves now triumphed over a fresh kill. After an unknown amount of time, one of the younglings broke under the tension and started to sprint up to the summit, simply trying to get away from the sound. The panicked dash was answered by a rolling rumble._

Ito shook his head to clear the image and reacted instinctively, flattening his ear plates and baring his teeth, also correcting his course and charging headlong at his opponent.

Their eyes remained locked as Hiccup's blade pointed right at Ito's brow, and time sped up as they neared. The Shade's claws found purchase on the cracks in the ice below him, and as he tensed to leap forward and catch the boy's outstretched arm in his claws, an azure aura caught his attention.

Time returned to normal at the most inopportune time; as Ito leaped forward, paws extended and lips curled backwards in a snarl, Hiccup disappeared in a flash of blue.

Before he had even landed, Ito felt his mind being pierced yet again, though this attack went much deeper than any of the previous trifling attempts.

_Ito quested with his mind far and wide, but his friends were nowhere to be found. It was almost as if they'd been snuffed out of existence, like flames in the wind._

_After a few minutes, he realized that the air was growing thin; there wasn't much down here in his prison if ice and snow. For a brief moment, he tried to breath as little as possible, but after a minute, he surrendered to the fact that he was to become nothing more than a small piece of the frozen landscape._

_Above, there was a rustling sound. Light began to show through, and his mind encountered a very strange presence._

_With a final shift of the snow, moonlight lanced down into the young Shade's eyes, and he beheld a long, pointed muzzle covered in fur. _

As his paws hit the ice, Ito's breath caught in his constricted throat as he felt the ice below him reach up and encircle him, trapping and condemning him to a cold, lonely death once again.

"_Looks like you made some furry little friends to replace your lost ones."_

Red flashed across his vision as his heart pounded in his throat. Slowly, deliberately, Ito turned towards Hiccup, locking eyes with him once more. The boy was on one knee with his empty hand flat on the ice, and the light of the moon shifted his physical features between contempt and pity rapidly.

"_I can't even begin to imagine how horrible you must have felt, knowing that you were the only one to survive._"

There was no amount of thought that went into Ito's next strikes. He didn't even remember the encasing ice around him shattering as he charged; he only remembered clawing, snapping, lunging at the mutant before him, trying to grab hold of the toughened flesh and rip out every piece of muscle and bone beneath it.

Every strike was danced around by the hybrid, but Ito's assault didn't stop the flood of images and taunts. The cuts and scratches the Shade received as Hiccup slashed at his openings only infused him with manic focus, and soon, the dragon stopped caring for his physical wounds, instead drawing the pain in as his blood spilled freely.

Silver moonlight fused with the orchid glow of Runes in bloodied water, illuminating black scale and white flesh - targets.

"_I mean, had I been stupid enough to fool myself into thinking it was the wolves' fault for my entire life, I would feel just as angry as you right now."_

He opened his mouth and let the inferno dance. Water pooled around their feet and paws and Ito's nonstop fire melted the ground, but the persistent blue shimmer beneath the human kept him just out of reach of the flames.

Ghosts of tiny Shades began to play around the edges of Ito's vision, and as they laughed and screeched in terror at some unseen threat, the sound echoing around his head, his self-control completely snapped as his mind tried not to focus on anything but dismembering and incinerating every piece of Hiccup.

Ito reached for the hybrid's left shoulder with his left paw as his fire melted the ice to the boy's right. The human evaded the flames and jumped backwards to avoid the paw, but Ito pounced forward, using the boy's momentum against him.

The Shade impacted Hiccup directly in the center of the chest with a paw, driving him to the ground and feeling his ribs strain with the force of the impact. His other paw slammed down onto the human's left wrist, forcing the blade to be released.

The fearful, green eyes of the mutant blinked rapidly as crimson blood splashed onto his features. The scent of his own blood did nothing to calm Ito's deep, erratic breathing, but Ito cared not for his loss - with nowhere left for the human to go, the dragon was guaranteed the kill. The match was his; all he had to do was bite down the little runt's neck and rip his throat out.

A pair of pathetic whimpers off to the left stopped the old Shade's attack.

The form of a young Shade danced and wavered above the pooled water in the corner of his vision, speaking and lying to him; whispering of tombs and wolves, of cascades of snow and howls of frightened hatchlings. The words were strange and indistinct, more the product of transmitted emotion than actual speech. Fear was the final thing it murmured.

Ito broke away from the sight of the terrified human below him to look directly at the Shade. He found a dragon that couldn't have been more than fifteen winters old sitting back on the water's surface, staring intently with pleading eyes.

"_Where am I?"_ The Shade asked, looking to Ito for answers.

Something in the back of his mind flickered to life, and Ito's thoughts were formed without his approval.

"_Trapped."_

"_In ice?"_

"_Yes. The wolves will dig you out."_

The tiny Shade paused, glancing around at the prison only he could see.

"_Don't cry. You'll live"_

The youngling did not seem comforted by Ito's words . _"...Where are you?"_ It asked tentatively.

"_I am..."_

Truthfully, Ito didn't know his exact surroundings; all he had been focusing on was the little Shade before him.

He tore his eyes away from the hatchling, looking out at the landscape before him. He saw a mountain ahead; a mountain that breached the sky with its height. On the snow-dusted slope of the peak, he could pick out three black shapes - three tiny Shades. They looked to be digging down for some reason that Ito could not distinguish, but it only took a moment for the howls to reach him.

The sound petrified him; it made his body feel as though the winter's claws had rooted themselves in his flesh. It made him want to hide.

Ito watched one of the tiny Shades screech and start sprinting up the mountain. As it went, it left a rolling trail of loosened snow behind it, and the trail caused tremors he could feel even now. If the Shade stopped, the tremors might as well, and just as Ito was about to call for the little ones, the same hatchling that Ito had talked to moments before, shrieked in terror.

The sound echoed down the mountainside, allowing the building trail of snow to gain speed and size, and not a second later, the entire mountain was covered in the flurry of rushing snow, carrying the three dragons with it.

Even as the burning cold of entombing ice surrounded him once more, a physical warmth blossomed at his throat.

Looking down, Ito saw a small, scaled and tearful human pinned below him, its hand right on the center of his neck. Ito felt like he was underwater once more, and thoughts and memories that were not his entered his mind. He knew his mind was freely shared with the human, but he did not care in the slightest; he was too focused on the new memories; falling peacefully through the sky with his chest against another's; his shoulder burning and his heart igniting as an axe carried him backwards; a wing around his shoulders as he walked towards Death in Shade form.

_He took her from you._

The thought did not shatter the bond; it was just as intricately woven inside the ties of their minds as the memory that was visible - a Shade impacting Ito from above, then turning to fight the female that had been flying beside him. Both beings felt the sting of the frigid water that paled in comparison to the cold loss they felt in that moment.

Another memory was examined; Varra, baring her fangs, pacing in front of the attacker and rebuffing all physical and mental advances. The warm splashes of blood they both felt as her neck was snapped, came from their left ear - rather, the missing chunk of their left ear. Their hearts rang completely hollow for the first time as life drained from the female's eyes.

_So you killed her._

_Yes. I did._

_Sycle never forgave you. You never forgave him. Or yourself._

_Could you?_

_Never._

_Then free me._

Ito's paws lifted off of the human's wrist and chest. The Shade watched as the boy slowly reached for the dropped blade, lifting it and drawing it back. Hiccup's eyes met the old dragon's once more, and Ito was surprised to find tears in them.

As the Shade closed his eyes, drawing in a breath and thinking back to that night; that night when the moon shone brightly; when the green lights danced; when Toothless took him into the sky; when Varra let him fall.

And fall he did.

The icy shard sank deep into his throat, and he let his last breath escape him with a slight, 'human' smile tugging at his lips.

"_Thank you, Hiccup."_

The words echoed slightly as he drifted off into the comforting darkness of peace.

XXX

Toothless

For a full minute, silence reigned amongst the gathered audience. Toothless' ears strained to find a single clue to tell him which combatant had fallen. In the center of ring, the two forms of human and Shade were a single lumpy mass on the snow. Thirty seconds more and Toothless could not bear it.

With a mighty shove, he forced his way through the wings of Ryshkaa and Sycle, bounding his way into the empty killing ring. Halfway to the center, he stopped again, this time paralyzed by fear; the Shade could not force himself to take another step until he knew which body lived.

Once again he craned his ears forward, forgetting the rest of his body even as it thundered with adrenaline.

There was a slight sniffling, followed by the slightest of dripping sounds accented by the hiss of melting snow.

With a small rustle, the smaller of the two forms pushed its way out from under the larger, and gently lay the large and lifeless head on the snow with a slow, careful motion. The snow began to darken in an expanding ring centering below Ito's throat.

After a moment on his knees, hand resting on the body's head, Hiccup turned and glanced up.

Toothless felt the tension in his body melt as he saw the tears streaming down his mate's face. He felt the barriers around Hiccup's mind dissolve like fog, and Toothless threw his thoughts forward and enveloped the sorrow, attempting to wash it away with his own happiness.

He succeeded for the most part, washing away all but one tiny ball of black sorrow that lurked in a small and reflective corner of the boy's mind. That small memory would stay there for the rest of Hiccup's life, he knew.

However, when Toothless refocused on the physical, and especially Hiccup's eyes, he found that the tears had stopped. The orbs themselves were growing hard and the corners lifted while a very quiet and distorted thrum began to resonate in the human's throat.

For a second, the Shade was perplexed at this behavior. He tapped their link once more, being bowled over by a rushing torrent of burning heat.

Toothless felt his entire body spasm before his blood began to race away from his head, and his claws began to flex involuntarily, kneading the snow. His entire being screamed to rush at Hiccup; to tear the concealing fabric from his body; to release all of the fire building within his muscles and share it with his mate. He wanted to burn and lose control, and he saw no reason to wait.

He paid no heed to the whispers that erupted around them; he dug his paws into the snow and rocketed forward, meeting Hiccup as the boy leapt, and together, they raced for the edge of the cliff.

The crowd on that side of the ring parted and allowed them to pass. Toothless was not even aware of the rest of Ito's Wing racing along behind him, snarling at those that might have followed given the chance.

When they reached the edge, their leaps were simultaneous. They were falling through the air together, and the raging sea below meant nothing.

The Shade's first instinct had been to take his mate right there on the bloodstained ice and damn the curiosity of the crowd of spectators, but he was still lucid enough for the time being to realize that solitude was infinitely better for all involved.

His second instinct was to fly until no sights, smells or sounds of foreign beings were present, but the boy falling beside him could barely stand the cold as it stood; how would he fare in prolonged contact with ice?

Without realizing it, his mind rifled through warmer, isolated locations, quickly finding one inside the bowels of Home Cave; a geothermal spring, tucked behind a narrow tunnel and hardly registered as an area of even mild significance by most residents of the networked tunnels.

With their destination decided upon and the slightest flick of a wing, Toothless was beneath Hiccup. Their tailfin sprang open as they corkscrewed into flight.

This flight was not destined to last long, however; with another flap and a rapid shift of tail and weight, the two reversed direction and flipped, diving toward the entrance to Home Cave. Under normal circumstances, Toothless would have been concerned that they'd never be precise enough to flip through the slot with enough time to close wing and drop into the cave, but his body seemed to be acting of its own accord, with utter confidence he did not consciously possess.

A few seconds later, they were falling to the icy floor and dashing up the stone passageway toward the access to the tunnels.

As the dais where the Three sat approached through the darkness, Hiccup glanced up and saw the Three outlined in silver, glaring down at them with a malevolence that was easier to disregard than Toothless could have ever imagined possible. He veered to the right, diving downwards into a very cramped tunnel that brushed against his back as it sloped down into pitch blackness. Hiccup had to stoop as he followed.

Toothless was starting to lose his ability to keep his sound pulses steady as his thoughts became murkier and hotter, and things only got more confusing as Hiccup's thoughts began to slide into his own, equally as heated and feral.

Hiccup kept stepping on his tail in the darkness, and after a moment Toothless simply lifted it and swatted, landing a light blow across the boy's side before he redoubled his speed and pulled ahead farther down the shaft.

By now, he could feel what he'd been searching for in the dark; moisture.

A cloud of stagnant steam wafted past Toothless' face along with the strong scent of minerals.

The passage abruptly widened into a massive space. The Shade allowed one pulse to illuminate it in it's entirety before he shut his mouth and cloaked their surroundings in utter blackness.

The room was round, roughly circular with several pools of water separated by bands of rock at the center which sunk low into the rock from the tunnel entrance in a steep slope. Around the rim of the room, more water trickled in through breaks in the walls and made it's way into the three central pools. The ceiling was jagged with stone spires that were far more numerous and varied in shape, yet smaller than those of the hall above. It was clear from the steam that the water was heated, probably by the same source that made the cave floors so warm.

As Toothless finished assessing their surroundings, a new scent that differed from the room's mineral and wet rock smells. washed over him It was a scent of paradox; sweet like southern flowers, yet hard and tanged, like hot metal. A contradiction - something new and unknown. Slowly, he turned towards the source of the scent, and was greeted by an overpowering wave of its heady flavor.

His nose brushed against scale.

Toothless reacted instinctively, without thought or logic. He swung his head to the side where he knew Hiccup's bare torso resided, and he heard the human fall to the side on hand and knee with a slight 'uhf'. The young Shade was up and over his mate's back, ready to thrust forward as his member enlarged, when a strange thing happened.

Toothless' dull, instinctive mind was struck as though by a hammer of thought, causing a ringing tone of command to pass through his being. He shuddered as the image of Ito lying dead before Hiccup rose unbidden in his memory, and beneath him, the boy jerked upwards, intent on claiming his right of dominance.

As Hiccup shoved, Toothless' paw slipped from its grip to the sloped floor and the rapid exchange of forceful thought prevented him from righting his balance. Both he and Hiccup tumbled bodily down the slope of the wet cave floor.

XXX

Skuru

Unlike the pair they were following, Ito's Wing made a decently careful approach on Home Cave's entrance and were moments later following the scented trail of blood into the caves.

By the time they'd made it halfway through the first Hall, Sycle seemed to have guessed where the two had gone. As the Three came into sight and their massive, baleful consciousness centered over them, Sycle made a rapid turn and pointed with a claw towards a very small opening in the gap between two stones.

_"No one gets through there until Toothless comes back out."_

Skuru, of course, felt obligated to ask. _"What about Hiccup?"_

Ryshkaa chuckled in response. _"There is no doubt in my mind that should Toothless exit this tunnel, Hiccup will limp with him."_

Without another word, Skuru slipped into the tunnel. About two winglengths in he found Hiccup's cloak on the floor, seemingly tossed away with reckless abandon. Skuru gurgled softly to himself before bunching the fur into a large lump with a few swipes of his paw and settling down to block the tunnel, resting his head on the fur. No Shade would be able to fit past him even if he was sleeping.

The male closed his eyes and found first the muggy and half formed thoughts of the two mates, which he narrowly avoided perceiving in detail, then he found the others as they settled down like him to concentrate. Rapidly, the other three minds began to whip tendrils of thought outward to join with his own like cords of a net, crossing and recrossing each strand as they became a mesh, thicker and thicker. Skuru reached out to assist, and after a moment, Hiccup and Toothless' mind had all but disappeared. Their thoughts were blocked, and others were blocked from seeking them.

Skuru let his muscles relax as he lapsed into a light doze, still helping to maintain the brilliantly glowing barrier around his Wingmates' mind.

XXX

Unknown

_**Splash.**_

__Falling. They were falling; as they had fallen together that first night; as Varra had let them fall.

They were falling, but this space was not of air or wind or even earth - on all sides, warm, tickling darkness slid it's probing fingers over their scales.

This was a place of solitude; here, there was nothing to touch them, nothing to bother them, and nothing to threaten them. They were safely shrouded in darkness and weightlessness; after weeks of worry, training, flying, running, they were at peace; completely, totally safe.

With a flex, the larger body extended its seven limbs in as many directions as it could, hunting, questing for the smaller. When one of the wings brushed against scale, a small tremor coursed down the length of both spines.

The dragon twitched a few limbs in succession, rotating to face the direction where the foreign touch had come from.

The boy's mind managed to ever so slightly claw away from the enveloping warmth of his mate's as the Shade attempted to curl himself around the smaller figure. Hiccup stopped the larger creature dead in its path through some part will and a greater part power, gained from the knowledge of his victory; it had been he that fought, and he that had claimed the life of his adversary.

In this moment, he was powerful. He was dominant.

As he faced turned into the brace of the larger body, his hands rose and found the scaled belly.

With precision and care, Hiccup ran the points of his fingers upward between the black plates of the Shade's scales. He lingered and slowed over the portions that he knew to be especially sensitive.

The dragon let a small whine bubble from his throat, attempting to writhe away from the savory torture. Before he could move more than two muscles however, Hiccup gave a single, mental _"__**No**__"_. The larger Shade found that he was frozen beneath the questing touch and imperial command of his lover.

When he finally reached the jaw, Toothless was shaking violently at each movement. Before Hiccup could tell him to stay still, the massive wings spasmed inward, wrapping around and holding him against the dragon's chest. A final tugging movement brought Hiccup's head level with the Shade's.

His words were barely audible, and their tone acquired a slight, hissing rasp - _"Now, you're mine as well."_

The water tasted heavily of minerals as Hiccup opened his mouth and let his needle-sharp teeth reach forward. With force that he could have never applied just months ago, he drove the points through the scales between Toothless' shoulder and neck.

For a second, there was utter stillness as Hiccup's mouth was flooded with the taste of his mate's blood. Simultaneously, every thought that Toothless had held before was overridden by a tidal wave of pleasure, accented with fiery pain.

Toothless' blood did not taste like blood, the taste was sweet, with the fiery tang of hot metal. As that taste suffused his body, Hiccup felt his mind relax utterly. And slowly, his identity bled away, leaving nothing more than the two of them.With a short expulsion of air, Hiccup released his hold and shoved against Toothless, breaking the Shade's hold over his torso. At the same time, the dragon flexed his spine and thrust upwards with his hindlegs, meeting Hiccup with a powerful impact that fused their bodies into a single entity.

The flames that had licked at their smaller body's heart for so long erupted outwards within their stomach and up into their spine, through the shoulder where their claim-scars lay.

Just as suddenly, Hiccup could no longer distinguish his own body. He felt himself withdraw and thrust into his mate once again, while at the same time, he pushed backward to meet his mate's advance.

Blackness and shadow surround them on all sides, and as the half-human's hips rapidly met with his dragon's, the inky darkness crept into their minds. It joined with them as a being; fused to their hearts. When it had encased the boy's entirety, his eyes shot open.

His burgeoning claws raked at the scale in front of him as his pulse pounded in his ears, and he felt his sharpened digits leave stinging marks down his breast and ribs. The fire in his stomach was fanned by the pain he felt, and his efforts redoubled, his thrusts shaking his mind and clouding it over with more viscous nothingness.

Bubbles joined and quickly departed the singular creature as his wide maw opened in a silent, forceful screech.

That screech allowed Hiccup to separate and see through his own eyes again. As the next thrust hit him, his eyes closed, and he found himself amongst his thoughts within his mind.

The clouds were no longer lazily circling the chamber's center - they spun rapidly and confusingly, impacting and splitting, reforming and changing as they whirled at high speed. Tendrils of shadow danced among the clouds, filling what had before been empty space. Occasionally, a tendril impacted a cloud, and the golden color faded into a stormy violet.

Hiccup hardly noticed this whirl of color; in the center of it all, beneath the central light, Toothless floated with wings outstretched, as though standing on something invisible. With barely a thought, the boy was beside him, wrapping his arms around and pressing his face into the powerful muscle of the dragon's neck while the spade-shaped head curled over him in a strange, horizontal embrace. He allowed his eyes to fall shut as his claim-scar seared with wonderful fire.

_"There is not a soul that can challenge us now."_

Toothless' voice was soothing, and what few cares that clung to the dark recesses of Hiccup's mind fluttered away and were banished. There was no longer anything that could stand against them; no sorrow, no danger, no pain.

Hiccup looked up, and was about to shift to get a look Toothless' new wound, but something caught his eye. Out in the dark nothingness of space beyond the whirl of thoughts, two figures emerged: one, a small male Shade, the other, a massive amber-eyed wolf. They sat shoulder-to-shoulder, facing outward into the darkness.

Hiccup desperately wanted to call out to them, but the wolf, as though sensing his gaze, turned her head and gave him a broad canine grin before both she and Skuru stood, bounding off into blackness.

XXX

III

_Well. So much for an easy dismissal. _

_They've been fully integrated into the Wing. If we send them away, we'll lose Sycle too. As much as I hate to admit it, he's valuable as a leader and strategist._

_There must be __**some **__way to get rid of them quietly. Ito attempted a direct approach, and was picked apart like a Khada for his trouble. _

_The human was mentally isolated. His victory was without outside intervention. How had he learned these skills so fast?_

_Alda has taught him without reservation. The human is knowledgeable about far too many subjects and he wields the _**fire**_. No normal Shade is a match for him anymore._

_We could simply break his mind._

_The youngling would know at once. And the Wing after, and the blasted shape-changer is always a thought away from Alda._

_There are too many aliens. We cannot allow them to dilute the strength of Home Cave. They cannot be trusted._

_And who brought all the aliens here?_

_**Alda**__._

_He is too inquisitive. He gives no thought for our safety._

_He is a danger._

_And we are powerless against him. He is more than our equal, and he could probably subdue the entirety of Home Cave for a short time if he needed to._

_If we were to strike at one of the students-_

_No, he would crush us directly. What about a hostage? We could-_

**Silence. All of you. I have need to enter your dwelling if you would be so kind.**

Each of the three old dragons' eyes snapped open. As one, they scanned the hall before them.. The temperature was unchanged, but each sensed a strange chill that resonated outward from their spines.

**I wish to enter your little cave. I want the Old One dead. You will allow me to enter or, I will enter regardless. Things will go better for you, however if you let me in.**

The final three words tripled in volume and seemed to batter at the mind of the Three. As one, they reached outward, beyond the cave, beyond the mountain behind, well beyond the normal mental range of a Shade.

At the very edge of their range was a single mind. When they brushed against it, all three recoiled, and the male let out a hoarse whine.

**If you refuse me entrance, I'll simply kill you, along with the Old One and every other thing I find. Who knows, I might even mate the bodies afterwards. Or... yesss, I'll rip off the wings and forelegs and take you while you can't- **

_**Silence!**_

_**We have no love for the Old One.**_

_**Take him, and leave us in peace.**_

XXX

Ryshkaa

For the first time in a long time, Ryshkaa was truly happy. She stood guard over her Wingmates in their most vulnerable state, with a prideful fire burning in her chest. The constant burning that had accompanied her since that horrible day now seemed natural - comfortable, even. She was secure, and nothing could stand against her.

As she bounded through the blackness of the mind's fringes, Skuru by her side, she had to resist the urge to howl her joy to the world.

Beside her, Skuru gurgled in amusement. She could not even bring herself to threaten him in her euphoric state. Things had at last settled. She was finally at peace.

The first notes weren't even audible; they rang on the outside of hearing, no more than a light pressure in the ear.

Ryshkaa was always more cautious than Skuru. She slowed, then stopped, pricking her ears.

Behind her, the glowing hum of Toothless and Hiccup was loud and powerful, but still, that strange pressure compelled her to listen.

The notes began to gain in power, passing into the range that could be heard and understood. Each tone was long, full, and perfectly pitched. They formed chords, and those chords were bound into a rhythm that was unmistakably more than simple music.

As the notes played, Ryshkaa was struck with a feeling of horrible recognition. The warming blaze in her chest went out.

The melody was becoming louder and more complex as it gained power. Voices could be heard now, whispering, barely audible, and certainly not recognizable. The words were lost amongst the notes of the song that reverberated off every single thought within Ryshkaa's mind.

"_No."_

The chords began to rise into a crescendo, increasing in tempo and volume until they played at an unbearable, fevered pitch. The final chord was beautifully piercing, and the whispers finally rose to a volume that could be understood, and they spoke a single word - a name.

"_NO!"_

Before she could stop herself, Ryshkaa let loose a howl that boiled into the darkness, adding a single note to resolve the final chord, allowing it to dim, and slowly fade into cold, featureless, silence.


	34. Chapter 34

**Warning. This chapter contains descriptions of the results of extreme violence and gore. M rating in effect.**

Chapter 34

Gobber

The curtain was worn and tattered. In a few places Gobber, could see right through the limp material to the darkness beyond. In all his years of battle and hardship, the old Viking had never feared doing what needed to be done. At times, he'd disliked the task or found that he did not agree with an order, but he prided himself on always, always completing his task.

Now, standing here outside of the cornered cell that was formed by this old sheet, he was truly afraid. The prospect of what he might find on the other side of this slim and insignificant barrier sent icy fingers crawling down his spine.

He'd been helping to shift some of the mead barrels to make room for extra beds for those that were becoming weak with hunger and sickness, knowing so many people were not meant to live in such proximity, when Fishlegs tugged at his sleeve and told him in a slightly shaking voice that Stoick wanted to speak with him.

Gobber had kept Stoick up to date on the situation and the ways in which he was managing everyone's health, but the man had been getting steadily weaker each time Gobber spoke to him.

And now, he stood frozen with dread that he was being summoned to hear Stoick's final words.

Finally, with a deep, bracing breath, Gobber put his thoughts aside and told himself that what would come was going to come regardless of his willingness to face it. He smartly drew the cloth to one side and stepped forward.

The sight that met him stopped him mid-step and killed the greeting in his throat, leaving his mouth to hang bewildered.

Stoick the Vast stood on his own two feet, still wrapped in stained bandages, pulling his tunic over his head.

"What do you think you're doin', ya' great lump!?"

Stoick looked up after he'd settled his garment in place and gave a harsh cough. The breath he took in after which weezed and dragged. The very sound of it conveyed pain just as well as the twisted look that flashed beneath the scraggled remains of the Chief's ruined beard.

"Wha does it..." Stoick's words were cut off by a strangled croaking sound. After a moment, the Viking spat out a clot of blood into a nearby bucket. "... Wha' does it look like I'm doin'? I'm gettin' dressed, so everyone sees that I'm fine."

Gobber wasn't sure if he should laugh with relief or curse.

"You're not fine! As a matter of fact I'd say that you've gone right past bad. You look like you've been spit out of a Nightmare!" In truth, before he'd covered them with his tunic, the bandages had been a terrible sight to behold; most didn't look clean and the rest were covered in dried blood. Gobber had only seen them for a moment in the flickering light of the single candle in the small cubicle, but he knew the look of someone who should be abed.

"The bleedin' stopped days ago - _cough_ - but I woud'n' let the Elder change the bandages. We need the cloth elsewhere." Stoick finished dressing by buckling his belt.

"Ya' goin' to get yourself killed, you stubborn old goat."

"Gobber, why is Astrid's name popping up in all the whispers outside? My hearin's still fine. What are ye not tellin' me?" The abrupt shift in discussion, and Stoick's newly focused gaze, threw Gobber off balance.

For just a brief moment, the half-limbed Viking considered trying to get Stoick back into his bed, but he dismissed the notion at once. Now that the man was up he probably wasn't going to go down again unless he accomplished some chiefly tasks.

"A few days back, Astrid n' the Twins slipped out through the door while everyone else was arguin' and talkin'. I've got no idea where they are or if they're alrigh'."

The massive Viking stared at the ground for a moment, then put an arm hand out to brace himself on Gobber's shoulder.

"If they ran off by themselves, it's not your fault." The two turned and made their way out into the stagnant and pungent air of the hall proper.

"I know Stoick, but I feel like I should go out after 'em. At least to find out if they're dead. I hate that I don' know." As they slowly walked into view, the residents who were still fit to walk about began to collect around the two leaders. Questions started to bounce around, all concerning Stoick's health and his plan for getting them out of the hall.

Food was running low as the tiny sheep heard dwindled, and the conditions were only getting worse as disposing of waste became more difficult. At first, it had been easy to crack the doors and toss out bucket loads, but as they'd continued, the dragons had begun to predict and take advantage of these weak points. A Gronkle had almost started a fire with a well aimed shot, and a Nightmare had barely been stopped from prying the doors open. They'd been tossing waste less and less until eventually they'd been forced to stop. Now, the air was worsening and it was obvious that they'd not be able to stay much longer.

"It's becoming a death trap rather quickly. We're gonna have to do something, Stoick."

"Did the watch have any luck countin' the swarm?"

"You can't see much from the door crack, but we're pretty sure that the beasts actually patrol. They move past the door at regular intervals and a couple caught glimpses of more in the village ruins the last time we tossed a bucket."

As the pair reached the head of the central hearth, one of the few remaining healthy villagers set a chair. Stoick promptly ignored the seat and leaned his weight against the stone. After a brief cough, he spoke with a voice that was strong and carrying despite its hoarseness.

"So, it is death to stay here, and suicide to leave. I don't suppose we could knock a wall down somewhere?"

"No' a chance. We only have a few hammers, none of them made for masonry, and the noise would probably draw the demons to the exit we create. Besides, there's also the wounded and ill to consider. About thirty are in no condition to run and fight for it."

The response came fromHrafn, a middle aged Viking with silver dusted beard and six feet of lean muscle. He seemed to have maintained his health surprisingly well, most likely due to his lack of close family.

"I don't suppose anyone else has any sort of idea?" The hall erupted into talk as what remained of Berk debated amongst itself, as Stoick had hoped they would. Gobber turned and muttered into his chief's ear.

"There's probably a good chance that only a tiny number could run for it. And even then they'd be dogged all the way into the forest until they found a place to hide."

Stoick's reply sounded like the grating of a saw against wood. "And those few would have an even greater chance of survival if they were small and scrawny. Perhaps Astrid and the Twins are alright." The heavy shadows above Stoick's partially decimated beard seemed to darken and deepen as he glanced up toward Gobber. "I don't suppose you're interested in riskin' your neck?"

"I'd rather keep my neck, but I'd dearly love to get outta here. And..." Gobber found his gaze drifting to where Fishlegs was rapidly conversing with some of the older healthy villagers. "...and I'd really like to find out what happened to Astrid and those two heels."

With a deep, rasping breath, Stoick took hold of one of the mugs sitting on the stone ledge. "You'd better come back alive, or I swear I'll kill you." He lifted the vessel and brought it down, smashing into the stone, producing a sharp, ringing _**"clap"**_. The hall fell silent almost instantly.

Once again, Stoick forced volume into his voice and spoke.

"Obviously, a large party is out of the question, but a small group, perhaps one or two, has a much greater chance of making it past the dragons and fully assessing the situation from the outside. These individuals can also scout and assess the condition of the island, and help to determine the best course of action. I intend to send Gobber. Would any volunteer to accompany him?"

At once, every healthy hand in the room lifted, as well as a few of those that were laying on their beds of furs. Gobber was shocked to see Fishlegs standing straight backed with his hand, though shaking slightly, high in the air.

XXX

Astrid

The snow rippled as the wind pulled dry powder away to dance across the hills. Astrid walked, taking mild interest in her surroundings without the slightest idea where she was or why she was there. Rolling drifts of snow vanished into the distance where they were met with a dark sky, covered in slate grey clouds. Behind her, a set of foot prints disappeared into an identically distant horizon.

A frigid chill permeated the air, but the breeze evident in the profile of the eddying snow gave no sensation as it passed across Astrid's bare skin. As she looked down, she realized that all of her skin was bare, with no leather or cloth for covering. The lack of weapons registered and twinged at the back of her mind, but the strange atmosphere and surrealism of her situation pushed it far from her concern.

While the wind gave no feeling to her skin, it made itself evident in her ears; a low and sorrowful moan sounded far in the distance, as if it traveled to her from thousands of miles away.

Once again she scanned her surroundings. The utter lack of vegetation or any other feature made this landscape completely new and alien to her. She took a tentative step forward. The snow seemed to part and pull back before her foot, creating a depression before her skin ever touched it.

Another step. Once again the snow shrank away from her touch. She shivered. Despite the lack of temperature, an icy feeling began to settle in her chest as she gazed at the blank landscape.

In an attempt to gain some control of the situation, Astrid's mind began to go through basic survival techniques, the first of which being to gain a better view and grasp of the situation. She turned and began to make her way toward the nearest hill.

While she walked, the snow continued to retreat from her feet, creating small depressions that were not the shape of her foot, but ovular. And as she stared down at her feet, she did not notice when she reached the crest. However, she did notice the large, black scaled paw that lay beside her foot.

Upon jerking her head up, she was greeted with a side profile of a Night Fury. It sat calmly with its tail curled about its paws and gazed away toward the horizon. It did not appear to notice her.

For a moment, she considered running until a strangely familiar, masculine voice resounded all around her.

"_One so young should not wander alone."_

Movement drew her eyes back down to the dragon's paws. A small form tumbled from between the Night Fury's claws. As it sprawled in the snow, Astrid could make out lanky wings that seemed too large for the tiny body and points of green where eyes stared upward at the larger dragon. A baby Night Fury gave a soft cry, joining the sorrowful drone of the Arctic.

As she turned her gaze back toward the larger dragon, it shifted its gaze away from the horizon and fixed her with a tranquil gaze.

"_One so young should not shoulder so many burdens." _

And she fell.

XXX

Inky blackness exploded from the center of Astrid's vision like a blossom of pitch. She felt her entire body jerk as it ceased to fall. The black before her consumed the slate grey of the sky and replaced it with close-pressing, musky darkness.

The girl threw her arm upwards and felt the heavy, segmented surface give way and pull upwards. Her eyes were assaulted with a wave of dark, pine green. The intense scent of the trees made her head spin as she sat up.

There were several clicks and cracks as her spine and joints moved for the first time in hours. After the initial pain, however, she found that her surroundings became fuzzy as she focussed on the delightful pained pleasure of stretching out each part of her frame. Beside her, the large dragon lifted its head and gave a small and short gurgle before also rising to its feet, extending its spine and wings upward in a sinuous, almost snake-like stretch.

When Astrid finally felt the last of her aches smooth into supple readiness in her muscles she turned a frown on the still curled reptile beside her.

"Why do you keep insist on touching me with those wings when I'm asleep?"

The Fury turned and gave a short grunt before jerking its spade-shaped head forward and giving her a solid shove in the chest.

_You were soaked. I'm pretty sure you would have fallen ill without the cover. Look, your clothes are still damp!_

Astrid gave a sigh. She realized that she had not even tried to draw a weapon when the dragon had come at her so suddenly. That was concerning.

"If I gather up some wood, will you light me a fire?" She took the resulting snort to be a yes, and turned to start searching in the undergrowth.

XXX

Fishlegs

The large boy turned the screw as slowly as he could, digging steadily into the massive slab of pinewood before him. Behind in the hall, the sound of bated breath filled the muggy darkness, and he could feel each and every eye grating against his back. Sweat was just starting to bead on the back of his neck when a few large splinters fell to the floor and he carefully turned the screw back, leaning forward to put his eye against the new peephole.

Outside, midday sunlight lit the hillside and contrasted sharply with the blackened hulk of the village. Vague, angular forms draped themselves in the ruins and basked in the rays of the sun. Between the door and the village, many other shapes milled and wandered across the ground. Their eyes glinted and shone as they stared at the door.

A trembling shudder ran the length of Fishleg's spine as he was faced directly with the eyes of his enemies. As he watched, more and more of the dragons began to stand and turn away to wander back in the general direction of the village. While they did, the reptiles in the ruins began to rouse and stand, and make their way toward the hall. As the two groups began to pass each other, a Nadder bumped against the wing of a Nightmare. Hissing roars and angry snarling spread through all the dragons and in a blink, a scuffle had begun.

Fishlegs turned away and looked up to the Chief and Gobber standing over him.

"T-the two watch groups are fighting." He looked upward into Gobber's face, seeing the question that the Viking would not speak. "Now's a perfect chance." Gobber knelt beside the boy and shoved his face against the door. Fishlegs heard him mutter, "Desperate times..." After only a brief moment, the large Viking gave a stout, if somewhat quieted, bark.

"Hoark! With us! The rest of you, open this door just enough to let us out and close it and bolt it fast behind us! Go!"

Fishlegs barely had time to realize what was happening before Gobber had shoved a sword and dagger into his hands, and pushed him through the door. The sun lanced into his eyes, washing the world out with white pain. He was, however, able to catch enough of his surroundings to start running as fast as his waddling gait could manage toward the forest.

The knowledge of exactly how open and vulnerable he was at this moment sent adrenaline coursing through Fishlegs' veins, setting his limbs afire. He was suddenly extremely aware of the sound of Gobber's creaking prosthetic leg behind him as he dashed toward the protective darkness of the trees.

When the comforting, cool shadows finally passed over Fishleg's skin, he quickly knelt behind a bush and tried to compress himself into the ground. He could hardly believe his good fortune, and when he lifted his head slightly to see past the greenery the way he'd come, he found Gobber crouching at the forest edge and he heard the mutter.

"Damn fool!"

And there, past Gobber in the deadly sunlight, he saw Hoark waving his ax as he gave a mighty bellow and went charging directly toward the swarm.

Quickly Gobber turned and went barreling past Fishlegs, snagging his sleeve as he went.

"What happened!? Why are we leaving Hoark?!"

"The lunk tripped and got spotted. When he saw that they were onto us he went straight for 'em to distract them from us! Now **RUN, **you blasted lump of blubber!"

Fishlegs found that new life surged into his lungs and legs as the sounds of Hoark's angry cries were mingled with the wet sound of tearing flesh and the grating snap of breaking bone.

XXX

Astrid

"Why?" The Viking inquired as she hiked her spiked skirt over her hips. The garment felt a little cool even in the frosty evening, but it was better than it had been just outside the river from hours ago.

_Oh come on. This is the second time in a week. And now there are two dragons to boot!_

"I remember you being annoying and helpless. Not sadistically cruel."

_Twice in a week!_

Astrid sat fuming with her back against the Fury's stomach, her legs wrapped by her arms and tucked against her chest as she watched her clothing steam on its stave above the merrily crackling fire. The warmth behind her was welcome, but 'Hiccup's' little jabs were making it difficult to sit at ease. A squirrel was spitted just beneath her clothing, and the aromatic smell of roasting meat helped to distract from the awkward thoughts and feelings that her mind was conjuring from thin air. The Terror slept curled at her feet.

The quiet chuckles that played over and over again within her thoughts would not allow her to relax, however.

"Look you bastard, I don't give a damn what you say! I'm ensuring my continued health, and the fact that this dumb beast is sitting here behind me is no reason for me to feel uneasy!"

Surprisingly, 'Hiccup' did not respond, and the laughter was silenced abruptly. Suddenly, the wall of scale behind her shifted and lifted away, dumping her onto her back and almost making her head hit the ground.

"Hey wha-?!"

With a quiet huff, the Fury turned and stalked off into the forest.

For a moment, Astrid stared after it, but her stomach snarled and insisted on her attention. She turned and took the spit from the fire, biting into the still sizzling meat. The Terror had lifted its head when the Fury had stood, but it swiftly returned it to its paws. However, the rending of flesh and the smell of blood prompted the small dragon to leap to its feet and stare up at Astrid.

The girl wanted to ignore the pathetic little beast, but something about its enormous eyes just wouldn't allow it. She tore a strip of meat from the squirrel and tossed it. The small dragon caught it in-flight and gave a single gulp.

"Looks like we're on our own for a little while at least. The big guy's gone and run off." She patted her skirt, feeling its coolness and wincing at the memory of the freezing water. Quickly she began to replace all of her clothing. With a sure boot-clad foot, she stomped and scattered the fire before turning and trying to assess the best way to travel to avoid contact with the hostile dragons.

Instead of waiting for her to set off however, the Terror leapt to its feet and trotted off through the trees in the same direction as the Night Fury.

"I should follow him, shouldn't I?"

Once again, 'Hiccup' remained uncharacteristically silent.

With a heavy sigh, Astrid strode off after the Terror.

As the shieldmaiden followed behind the small reptile, she found herself thinking of that first time she'd followed Hiccup. The woods had been lit by the sun barely starting to fall from the sky, and she'd kept him just within view, rather like the Terror before her now. She'd been so desperately curious to see what secret he was hiding in the woods. She'd of course never expected it to be anything so absurd as a Night Fury, but then it seemed as though she'd underestimated him. After all, when the runt was compelled with whatever reason had stolen into his head, he'd murdered his cousin without glancing at him.

As Astrid continued on through the forest, fog started to roll through the woods from the direction of the coast; thankfully not the sickly fog of the Zippleback, but a fine white natural mist of water vapor.

Hiccup was no longer here to drive her to such extremes, yet she found herself following the Terror regardless. Just the thought of that brought the last words he'd really said echoing through her memory.

_You're better than this, than meaningless slaughter... find the person within you... my expectations are high..._

At first she'd disregarded them as the ramblings of a lonely and possibly deranged teenager. Now, she found that his words continued to echo and chafe against her thoughts.

After an hour alone with the Terror and her musings, there came a slight rustle from the leaves above. When she looked up, she glimpsed a black tail fin pushing off ahead and out of sight. No gasp. No reaching for weapons. She'd immediately classified that fin as 'not dangerous' and continued to walk.

What was happening to her?

Her final step brought her through the undergrowth into a slight clearing. Beneath a particularly large pine off to her right, the Night Fury sprawled across a large stone overgrown by roots in one of many rays of light filtering down from the sun that was sinking lower into the sky. Beside it on the ground lay the blood soaked carcass of a small deer. As she came near, the enormous reptile lifted its head and gave her a very intent stare before jabbing its head towards the dead creature at its feet. For a moment, Astrid could not decide if she was going to skin the deer or kick dirt at it. Once her stomach reminded her how long it had been since her last proper meal, however, she briskly crossed the space and pulled out her knife.

_You don't dare light another fire. The fog is soaking all the wood. A fire here would produce enormous amounts of smoke. It would draw any dragon on the island down on you._

The sudden return of 'Hiccup' did not even startle her.

"Thanks." When she gave that single, dejected thanks, the Night Fury sitting above her emitted a low and steady thrumming from its throat. When the Viking looked up, the black dragon was staring directly at her with its head slightly tilted.

"What? I said 'thanks', I didn't give you a freaking medal. They don't say 'thank you' where you come from?"

The Fury's eyes became slits as his head tilted even further to the right.

"Where _do_ you come from, anyway? Definitely not from around here, judging by how many of you there are."

If she had been expecting a response, Astrid was left disappointed. The dragon opposite her simply stared, watching and listening to everything with the same reactions as a statue.

The viking's knife plunged violently into the ribcage of the dead animal beneath her, though the girl never broke eye contact. "What are you looking at?! What?! If you can hear me, say something! Don't just look at me like some stupid jumbo salamander!"

The growing noise of evening crickets and insects filled the space between the two as each waited for the other. Astrid's jaw clenched as she thought about taking all of the anger this gods-forsaken reptile was causing her out on its own face, but the knife found its way once more into the flesh of the deer's side, separating very large and messy chunks of muscle from the skin. Though her eyes bored holes through the carcass, most of her attention was a dozen feet in front of her, focussed on the Fury and its perch. Not once through her berserk mutilation of the cervidae did she detect any movement or response from the dragon.

With a sigh, Astrid fell back against the bark of a tree as she sat down carelessly, taking most of the animal's hind leg with her. The raw flesh bled down her chin and throat as she tore into it, and her involuntary disgust with the uncooked flesh forced her eyes up, straight into the gaze of the scaled dragon.

The taste of the meat faded to the back of her mind as she looked back at the Fury, her thoughts circling around the beast. With a sardonic half-smirk, she realized once again how quiet her idiotic hallucination was being.

"You're awfully silent. Any reason?"

With a soft growl and a snort, the Fury fluttered its wings and turned away.

"No, not..." A growl of her own bubbled out from between her teeth as her eyes found the crimson meat again. "Alright, look."

Astrid waited a moment until the hesitant shuffle of scale informed her that her companion was indeed looking. "I'm sorry, alright?" She breathed in deeply, trying to ignore the foul taste of raw meat at the back of her throat. "I know you're not just another animal that doesn't give two shits if it's yelled at." The shieldmaiden forced her head up again, meeting the cool green eyes focused on her. "I know you can hear me. You're... not human, but you're smart."

She threw the leg up in the air, watching the Fury follow it and snatch it out of the air as it came level with his maw. In less than a second, the deer's leg had vanished with two crunching snaps. When the dragon turned to face Astrid again, she found that its slit eyes seemed less wary than before. Something akin to childlike curiosity filled the cracks in the shell of coldness the dragon surrounded itself with, and it was this tiny spark of warmth that drew the Viking's hand from her side, haltingly reaching an open palm towards the black scale.

As Astrid leaned forward, and her hand came closer and closer to the Fury's scale, a dull hum started to fill her ears. Each small movement closer increased the humming's volume, as though a swarm of insects was trapped inside her head. Just as she was about to touch the shining black plates of the Fury's scales, a rushing of air and a flash in her vision sent her jumping to her feet.

The ax head that had passed so close to her head imbedded itself in a tree about ten feet off, but Astrid gave it no mind. She was drawing another blade from her hip and facing toward the weapon's source, placing herself between the black dragon trying to scramble to its feet and the source of the weapon. The sight that greeted her would have been terrifying for any self respecting dragon or Viking.

A massive Viking with no beard and a long braided mustache, arms that were more than half the width of his body and a large hammer sprouting from his left arm was barreling toward them on an uneven gait caused by a peg-leg. Rather than a ferocious countenance of battle however, Gobber wore a look of fear.

"Out 'a the way Astrid! I'll deal with the ugly brute!"

Astrid reacted faster than she would have ever thought possible. Taking a deep breath, she let the two blades fall from her hands. Flexing her knees and timing the speed at which Gobber was moving, she leapt forward off her left leg, bringing her right sweeping around while she was airborne. She met the burly Viking just as he was passing the last shrubs of the clearing and sent her leg snapping forward.

Gobber was never one to show pain. He gave a single grunting "oof" as his left leg buckled at the knee where Astrid had struck it. His momentum carried him forward, plowing face first into the ground. As soon as he was down, the Night Fury jumped from his perch to land on Gobber's back, pinning him and knocking out all of his air.

For a moment, Astrid stayed in a crouched position and simply gazed at the massive Viking behind her which now had an enormous reptile perched atop its back until the dragon distracted her. It stood with all of its legs together and wings spread slightly for balance, but its eyes were focussed on her, and the position combined with its wide eyed expression struck her at once as both shocked and adorable.

She quickly rose to her feet and hurried over to where Gobber's head was lying face down in the dirt. Just as she got there, the large Viking lifted his right hand and placed it against the ground, apparently intent on lifting himself up. As he shifted, the Fury on top of him whirled around and placed one of its forepaws against the Viking's head and pushed down, drawing another, slightly muffled "oof!" and causing Gobber to start thrashing from side to side, though he was unable to get his face out of the dirt.

"Gobber! Listen to me!" Astrid endeavoured to keep the laughter from her voice. "Listen! Stop struggling!" For a moment, the Viking continued his thrashing and writhing, then he lay still. "Alright! Now, can you promise me that you won't attack the dragon that's on your back?" A rather indignant sound came from the facedown man, but it was immediately drowned out by a snarl from the Fury.

"Gobber, if you promise me that you won't hurt him, he won't hurt you! You won't, will you?" The question was directed at the dragon, which looked up and made a whine that sounded distinctly disappointed. "Will you?" The Fury snorted. "He won't! Please, Gobber, don't make this hard."

Nearly five minutes passed, during which Gobber remained completely silent. Finally, when Astrid thought she could no longer bear the pressure, Gobber made another muffled sound.

"Let his head up I can't hear him." The Fury removed his paw from the Viking's head. After spitting out a generous portion of soil, the Viking coughed.

"Alright! Alright. I won't lay a finger on the beast unless he tries to lay claw to me first.**" **Though the words were grudging, Astrid knew that Gobber was an honest man at heart. He wouldn't lie to her. She gave the Fury a pat on the nose and pointed back toward his rock.

With a small hum and a balanced leap, the dragon left Gobber's back and settled himself on the stone. Very slowly, Gobber began to slowly push himself to his knees. As he rose, the large Viking continued to spew spoil and moss from his mouth. Though he was spitting furiously, as soon as his eyes were up, they locked on the enormous dragon sitting across from him.

The Night Fury flicked its tail. Gobber's hand moved to the hilt in his belt where a dagger rested.

"Gobber! Just calm down and have a seat. We'll all sit, and nobody gets hurt. Sound good?"

A small sound, like a whiny grunt came from his throat, but after twenty seconds or so, Gobber finally sat, though his hand still had not moved away from his knife, and the muscles in his left arm continued to twitch as he stared at the Fury. For a moment, Astrid was frustrated by his refusal to relax before she remembered that Gobber was the fifth human to ever see a Night Fury clearly with his own two eyes; Hiccup, herself and the twins being the others.

As the looked on, the dragon stretched his wings luxuriously to their full extent, and arched its spine, drawing a few cracks and snaps as it did. All the while, the heavy mass of muscle fidgeted, his fingers drumming into the iron at his belt and his eyes riving the entirety of the Fury.

"Impressive, isn't he?"

Gobber jerked slightly at her words, and his eyes whipped back to her for a second before focussing on the black dragon once again. "How do ya know it's a male?"

The question was hushed, and the intensity of it took Astrid by surprise. As the shieldmaiden went to answer, a brief flash of memory played in her ears; a deep, resonant and altogether masculine voice shouting at her to run. She glanced toward the dragon again and the voice in her head seemed to click as a strange feeling filled her. She shook her head.

"Intuition. The way he acts and holds himself seems masculine."

Gobber watched as the dragon turned and stepped down from its perch on the boulder, and, keeping an eye on the crippled Viking, crossed the clearing and placed itself behind Astrid, where it sat again, curling its tail around to place against Astrid's thigh.

After repressing her shudder, Astrid spoke. "I suggest you stop glaring at him before you make him angry. I don't want to have to incapacitate an ally, Gobber."

The older Viking's eyes snapped down to Astrid's and for a moment, a flicker of wariness and caution passed through his expression. He gazed at her for a full minute before speaking.

"Somethin's different about you, Astrid. I'd like to know wha's happened since you came out here."

As Gobber spoke, Astrid felt her attention drawn to the sticky feeling of dried blood at her throat, where she knew the stains of her recent meal were still visible on her neck and all over the front of her clothing. She took a deep breath, forcing it out through tight lips and trying to let her body relax. With a click of her tongue, a large yellow mass fell from the tree limbs above, resolving itself into her Terror when it landed square in her lap.

Gobber leapt to his feet, but an odd, slightly strangled bark from the Fury behind her froze him in place.

"The entire story, I guess you could say, starts with this little ball of annoyance. But it's probably a bad idea for us to linger in one place for so long, especially when it's this wet. When the sun goes down this is going to freeze into frost. Let's find higher ground and some dry wood for a fire. I'll talk, you'll listen, and you won't hurt either of my friends." With that, Astrid stood and strode past Gobber, Terror riding firmly on her shoulder and Night Fury shadowing her footsteps closely.

After a very long pause, Gobber followed.

XXX

Twins

"Slow down man, you're talking way too fast." Abruptly, Fishlegs' voice cut off.

The three teens sat on a large rock outcrop of the mountainside. It was low enough and near the forest so that sparse vegetation pushed itself up past the rocks. At the back of the outcrop was the bush that the Twins had been hiding in. This spot got enough sunlight during the day that the Twins had not frozen and the bushes at the rear had provided them with cover from wind and hostile eyes during the night.

As late morning had come, they'd spotted Fishlegs making his panicked way through the trees below and had called his name. With a brief spurt of effort and strength that the Twins had not known Fishlegs possessed, the large teen had ascended the slope and joined them.

"Start again, slowly." Unlike her normal annoying sneer, Ruffnut was doing her best to sound comforting and compassionate.

"Gobber and I came out to look for you guys! Well, you _and _Astrid, but I don't see her anywhere. About a mile out from the Village we got attacked by a pair of Nadders and Gobber told me to run while he drew them off. I know for a fact that he killed one of them, but I don't know what happened after that I've been running ever since!"

Fishlegs looked as though he'd been running, too; his hair was wild and full of twigs, leaves and sap; his light leather armor was scratched and maltreated; his only weapon was a small mace that he held loosely in his right hand as it knocked against the rock at his feet. His breathing was still heavy.

Tuffnut placed a firm hand reassuringly on the large teenager's shoulder. Though comfort was not a way in which he normally spoke, he did his best to sooth the other boy.

"We found Astrid, don't worry about her. She's well off. Who knows, she might find Gobber. What we need to do is survive and not freeze - winter's just about here. First thing's first, let's go and find some more food and see if we can find a way to make our little bush camp any warmer."

A small smile tugged at Fishlegs' mouth. "You know Tuff, you can be pretty nice when you want to be."

Tuffnut snorted. "Oh shut up, I'm still...!"

"Guys! What the hell is that?!" Ruffnut's squeak made both boys look up and out over the forest.

From their place on the mountain, the trio could see out over the forest to the coast and a hazy view of the ocean beyond. The thing that Ruff was pointing too at first appeared to be a cloud; a large, dark mass of something moving and undulating above the water. However, as Fishlegs peered out, he suddenly gasped.

**"What?! What is it?! Is it dangerous?!"** The Twins both yelled in unison.

"Shhh!" Fishlegs put a finger to his lips. "Look," he pointed to indicate the edges of the swirling mass that floated above the ocean. At these edges, small forms became visible, breaking away from the mass and joining it again. "Dragons."

And, as the teens watched, a very peculiar thing happened - a tiny point of brilliant red light blossomed from the center of the mass and steadily grew in brightness and size, until a small red sun seemed to hover above the ocean, bathing Berk in bloody light and obscuring every single dragon. The Twins both scampered back to their cover, but Fishlegs remained, staring.

The light abruptly shrunk to a pinprick and flared once brightly, disappearing completely. The mass of dragons was nowhere to be seen. A few seconds later, a concussive pulse like a boulder striking the mountain side sounded from the direction that the mass of dragons had been seconds before, reverberating through the Teens' chests.

Fishlegs whimpered.

XXX

Toothless

For a time, everything was perfect. Nothing mattered but the act and the moment.

Toothless floated in stillness, feeling his blood pulsate and burn beneath his newly forming scar. The mark was tiny, and many would mistake it for a wound, but Toothless could feel its significance, its power; he had been claimed. His affections and wishes and promises returned to him a thousandfold, sealing his life into eternal orbit with another. The joy in his heart was unparalleled by any feeling he could remember.

In his mind's eye, Hiccup held tight to his neck. They soared through water and sky, clouds and waves breaking as his wings beat steadily and carried them ever higher. They passed through the ring of fire at the end of the world, joining the stars and twinkling brighter than any, a deep green beacon paling the moon.

He felt the boy's hand on his thigh as they slowly spun without aim in the deep basin, gripping as tightly as his body around his groin. Against his stomach, his love's heat burned, adding contrast to the pool that soothed his aches and relaxed his scales. The dragon's lips pulled upwards out of reflex as his paws tightened around his mate's chest, clutching him close.

Because of his euphoria, Toothless did not take heed of the first notes. The music began low and quiet, barely a sound at all, more a pressure against his mind. As it built, Toothless felt the scales behind his ears begin to lift and bunch, rippling as his ears attempted to catch a sound that was not physical.

As he listened, the notes began to make themselves distinct, succinct and powerful, binding themselves into chords that stirred his blood and nagged at the back of his mind as though he'd heard them before. His mind broadened in search of the source where he learned he was not the only one listening; somewhere close by he sensed Ryshkaa, frozen in place.

The music was beautiful as it invaded his mind, straight through the immaterial webbing that surrounded and shielded them. Curious, Toothless focussed his inner eye.

The world resolved itself into the familiar void of white-speckled blackness, but this time he and Hiccup were not alone. Above and around him, four other spheres hung, suspended, dark and shining. From their flickering surfaces, the protective net wove its way through the darkness, encompassing the area within the orbs, protecting himself and Hiccup... but something was off; the strands of thought that formed the web were flashing. Even as he watched, the entire mesh pulsed in violet unison. With each pulse, another note of the strange song was born.

Was the Wing singing? They'd never done so before, and it seemed unlikely that they'd start now, especially with Sycle and Kale asleep as they were. As he listened to the music and watched the odd light, it grew faster, increasing in tempo and pitch.

Through the net flashed a great indigo.

"_**NO**__!"_

Before his eyes, Ryshkaa's sphere flashed brilliantly with the Heart's Fire and vanished. The protective web exploded outward into a thousand distinct thoughts that were separate and confused, and the other spheres began to pulse and sparkle as their owners woke and reacted to the violent disjoining.

Hiccup also woke, but before Toothless could even say a word, panic filled his mate's mind. With a kick, the boy was physically separate and shooting toward the surface, his limbs wheeling wildly. Toothless gave a few kicks to right himself before flapping powerfully to catch up.

As he broke the surface, he saw Hiccup scrambling up the side of the pool, breathing heavily.

"_Hiccup! Hiccup, what's wrong?! What's happening?!" _As he touched Hiccup's mind, he was struck suddenly with a brief vision that lasted no more than a second.

Hiccup's mind was in pain - Hiccup's mind was burning. Fire licked at the outer edges of the sphere that represented the boy's mind and Runes were exploding outward in torrents of interconnected gold like a swarm of angry golden bees. Just before Toothless broke off the connection with a cry, he caught the physical sensation of unbearable pain in his chest, as though he'd been stabbed through the heart.

"_**Hiccup!" **_Either because he could not hear Toothless, or because he couldn't make a response, Hiccup ignored his mate and went charging up the tunnel with Toothless hard on his heels.

As they ran, the music was still present, though it seemed to have hit its topmost volume and tempo. A single, ringing chord emerged from the melodic cacophony and overrode every other sound both mental and physical. In that single resounding note, Hiccup heard a few syllables behind the solid noise.

_Alda_

With a shake of his head, Toothless snarled and tried to catch up to Hiccup. They were in the main tunnel network was not sure how they'd come to be here or where they were as they had not passed through the Atrium, but Hiccup seemed to know where he was going.

A strange thing happened at an intersection of four tunnels; the ceiling was relatively high, and as Toothless rounded a corner trying desperately to keep Hiccup in sight, a frigid burst of air rushed over his back, as though their were icy water flowing through the air. Anything that was cold enough to make him feel the change dramatically was far colder than anything in nature ought to be, but such was his distraction that he brushed it off as a mere cave breeze entering from the channels that had been dug to the surface for that purpose.

He did, however, stop in his tracks as Hiccup came solidly back into view. He was standing rigidly still in the center of the passage. A few tail lengths in front of him was a familiar opening - the entrance to the Hall of Knowledge. From the opening poured the unmistakable scent of blood.

XXX

Hiccup

The burning would not stop. Thousands upon thousands of images, thoughts and memories assaulted him and he found himself swept away by the torrent, unable to handle the onrush of information. His body had reacted instinctively, leaping up and seeking out his teacher. Alda would be able to quell this, whatever it was, but something halted his body not far from its goal.

As the scent of blood filled his nostrils, Hiccup's body froze and a strange voice spoke in his mind amidst the pain, chaos and fire; a voice that sounded like his own, and yet was also someone else's.

_The source, Hiccup. The source is within your own mind. Pull away from it. Take away its energy._

Instinctively, Hiccup's mind reacted, turning and facing the flux of knowledge that he now could tell was emanating from within his own thoughts. As he moved toward their source, a very strange sight filled his minds eye: At the very base of his mind, where his subconscious kept his heart beating and his lungs breathing, he glimpsed a single bright, golden point, to which all the other thoughts could be traced.

Hiccup pulled his mind and thoughts away from what he could now see was a Rune. Instantly, the unknown memories, thoughts, and emotions disappeared entirely, leaving his mind quiet, cold, and dark.

The void left by the Rune was not static, however; the moment Hiccup's mind was free of the overwhelming stream of data, the scent of blood sharply increased, accompanied by the slightest, softest rustling.

An aura seeped through the open arch to the Hall: an aura that greedily sucked the warmth and energy from the hybrid as he stood rooted in place, his ears flickering as much as the undeveloped muscles could move them to catch the ethereal, pulsing thrum that he couldn't be sure actually existed. The fatigue that had claimed him shortly after marking Toothless returned tenfold, draining the life from his bones and muscles and leaving him feeling like he would collapse to his knees under his own weight. The heavy, grey coat of lethargy pulled him downwards, but a burning sense of foreboding and dread pulled him forward without grace.

Just before he entered the Hall proper, Hiccup caught a fleeting glance of shimmering violet on the obsidian walls; blood was splattered across the seemingly endless black, letting the boy truly perceive the wall itself rather than just the color-augmented Runes alighted upon it for the first time. The sight of another creature's life essence added kindling to Hiccup's apprehension, the horrible internal blaze threatening to disintegrate his rational mind while his weariness was barely kept at bay.

The dam holding back his exhaustion shattered as he crossed the threshold, his eyes instinctively finding the central pillar. He knew his eyes were open, for he could see the fat drops of crimson that slowly pooled in front of the column and added to the messy sea of blood before it, but his mind desperately fought against the image that was already searing itself onto his inner eye, franticly avoiding acknowledging that such a thing could exist. It wasn't until his legs buckled and his knees found the ground that Hiccup _saw _Alda.

A deep, russet cavity was split open in the center of the dragon's chest, and jagged stumps of bone allowed something pitch black to hang freely. Hiccup found the missing ribs on either side of his mentor's head, driven by some unearthly force through the column and the thick membrane of extended wings, suspending the Shade above the floor. Embers pitifully impersonated eyes, the smoldering specks of light illuminating empty, gouged-out sockets. Uneven runs of blood made their way from the sockets in between the scales of the head and down across the neck, displaying a hellish visage of sorrow.

The deep vibrations haunting him slowly built in a crescendo as the half-breed sank forward, his vision blurring as his stomach allowed what little food it contained to spill before he could look any lower. Leaning on his clenched fists, wetness gathered in the corner of his eyes as he was sick a second time. The infrasonic, jarring sound that echoed from every direction clouded his mind and set his gut aflame as it drowned out any thought he tried to form, and he stumbled backwards on uncooperative legs, ripping his blades from his body and brandishing them wildly.

"Where are you?!" His roar almost made his throat bleed, his eyes darting to every shadow that didn't exist in the omnipresent light of the Runes and his head snapping towards every tiny sound his untrustworthy ears detected. The throbbing that drove him insane and muddled his thoughts became a laugh, black with unbridled and poisonous mirth. The minute tap of a claw sounded from behind, and Hiccup almost fell as he wheeled and stumbled, pointing both weapons at the throat of his mate while a single drop of blood rolled down the longer Weh blade.

Toothless pulled his head back slightly so that the point of the obsidian blade rested in the air a millimeter from his torn scale. The young dragon's eyes were wide, his nostrils flared and his ears rose to their full extent in his confusion.

"_Hiccup!" _The name came to the disturbed hybrid as though from extremely far away. It was faint and insubstantial underneath the maddening thrum. _"Hiccup! Answer me!" _Slowly, Toothless began to step backward, toward the entrance. _"We have to get away from here!" _

_Too... Toothless... my mate. No danger. _Having lost a visible threat, Hiccup's blade fell to the ground with a clatter that went unheard, though he could feel the vibrations through the floor.

_Alda_

Slowly, the boy's knees began to tremble, and he turned to face the pillar again.

"_We have to save Alda!"_

As Hiccup began to run toward the room's center, there was a rustling of scale on stone and before he could react, the hybrid found himself falling toward the floor as his ankle was seized by a powerful grip. Behind him, Toothless let loose a roar that reverberated around the cavern and resonated in Hiccup's ribs and which cut off the terrible thrumming.

_"You have no power among the dead." _The voice was female and familiar. Before Hiccup could move to strike out at his assailant, the dull, flat grey of Ryshkaa's mind closed about him, and he found himself standing on a plain that was featureless and smooth with no temperature, no visible horizon. As he whirled about to attempt to find any reference point at all in the featureless landscape, his eye fell on the white coat and piercing, golden eyes of a wolf.

After only a brief pause, he recognised Ryshkaa's true body. She turned away from him and gazed out at the expanse of nothingness that lay before them.

With a great rushing, a cover of misty grey rushed across the sky and defined a horizon as the land below deformed and shaped itself into sweeping snow drifts.

_"I may reside within a Shade body, but this is still the center of my mind. This is all the mind of any wolf you'll ever meet; snow and ice and cold. When a pack comes together, they huddle as one in this place and none of them are alone. It's a lot like the Mindspace you share with Toothless."_

Ryshkaa's voice seemed to have lost what emotion Hiccup had become used to hearing in it. She spoke without inflection or feeling, as though her words were merely syllables with no greater meaning. When Hiccup turned to face her, he saw that the white fur beneath her eyes was wet and beads of moisture fell from the tips of the fibers, leaving small holes in the snow at her paws.

_"I too thought I could save a life that had fled from its body. I cried out to the spirits of my ancestors and to all the powers that may or may not exist, and I asked them to let my life replace the hatchling's that I had killed in my senseless blood wrath. With such a great expenditure, __**something **__was guaranteed to happen. What I did not expect was for them to make me wear my guilt as flesh for the remainder of my life." _Ryshkaa took a deep, ragged breath that Hiccup knew pained her. _"I shared this place with Alda. He existed here with me, and he kept the sorrow of loneliness from destroying me. He was an Alpha to me. A father."_

For a brief moment, Hiccup could see the outlines of a large Shade and a small wolf pup frollicking across the banks, given shape by a billowing flurry.

_"Fifteen seconds. When I woke, I had fifteen seconds with him. Do you know what he did?" _Unable to speak, Hiccup only shook his head, despite the fact that Ryshkaa was not looking at him. _"He placed a paw on my head and pressed his head against mine. He whispered to me, '_Take care of Hiccup and Toothless. Treat them as I've treated you and don't make the mistake that I did. I lo..'

Alda's voice, which had tickled at Hiccup's ear, abruptly disappeared. A deep, dull pain suddenly struck Hiccup's chest, and he dropped to his knee beside Ryshkaa.

"_I felt the fatal blow. He literally died in my mind. When I reached the hall, I found him as he is, with no detectable trace of his murderer."_

Hiccup found that this empty wasteland setting resonated within him deeply. He felt empty; a shell. There seemed to be a gaping hole of lost knowledge and potential in the place where Alda had been.

He hadn't realized while Alda had been alive that the old Shade had slowly begun to replace the empty hole created in his life when he'd left Stoic standing beneath the moon.

"_I'll let you return to Toothless in a moment, but before you do, I have something for you." _By the end of this sentence, Ryshkaa's voice had gained some small amount of inflection, though it was only the deep sorrow that Hiccup had already known was there. _"When Alda touched me for the last time, he imparted to me two Runes. One was for me, the other is yours. It was meant only for your mind, and I have not tried to know its contents." _

The wolf reached forward with one paw and brushed a furrow into the snow, leaving a small depression, from which faint blue light emanated. With a surge of hope, Hiccup stepped forward and without even looking at the Rune's shape, thrust his hand down.

The white snowscape disappeared, and Hiccup found himself in total darkness. And, from the darkness, a very quiet voice emanated.

_"I'm sorry. I've burdened you without even telling you. I'll be with you for a good long time now. You need only look in the right place."_

XXX

Talon Claw

An enormous canine with sleek silver fur streaked with black stood at the topmost point of a great mound of snow. Below him, the northern forests stretched away southward, and the light of the setting sun turned the western snowfields into plains of liquid fire. The brisk odor of winter wind was heavily present and the snow encased trees rustled and creaked, moving for the first time in months.

But the wolf paid these lovely features of the landscape no mind. His snout was pointed toward the sky where a great many dark shapes were visible on the horizon.

As he watched, an explosion of snow rose from trees, and the grey canine dived downward, digging beneath the snow and driving most of his form into the snow. The black figure of a Shade rose into the sky and set its climbing course northward.

Before it had made it more than a few leaps into the air, there was a blur of movement from the North and a horrific screech. The wolf watched with fascinated horror as the Shade fell from the sky and landed on the ice plains with a dull crunch.

Whipping his head back to the sky, he caught the shrinking silhouette of something large and winged beating its way toward the oncoming shapes. After bursting free of his camouflage Talon Claw spared only a moment to inspect the Shade's body: A perfectly straight incision ran downwards from the jaw, between the legs and across the abdomen, even going so far as to slash the genitals in two. The cut ran all the way to the end of the tail, where it laid split bone bare. The grey wolf felt his stomach heave.

Something pricked the hairs of his neck that faced the great swarm. As he turned to face it, he had to plant his feet as a point of bluish light took shape within the mass of dragons, seeming to have a gravity of its own. The light encompassed and blotted the reptiles out as Talon Claw nearly fell onto his muzzle, and at once, the great booming of raw power pushed him onto his haunches as the swarm vanished. A lingering streak like that of a comet's tail drifted northward, the only sign that there had ever been a flock of living creatures.

Taking a moment to steady himself, he bolted northwards, taking in a deep breath as he did. He began to run faster as the crisp chill of snow and ice permeated his nostrils.

His home. His domain. Here, distance didn't matter.

Slowly, as cold flooded the pads of his paws, he felt the distance begin to shrink. The hundred miles he had to run were barely worth one.

With a short glow of white, the form of Talon Claw disappeared into the snow that had begun to billow and flurry in the wind.

XXX

Toothless

It took a long while for Hiccup to wake, but when he did, moisture rushed from his eyes and he jerked violently in the grip of Toothless' wings. As his mate came back to consciousness, Toothless was startled by a shout that came from Hiccup's voice instead of his mind.

"WHY THE HELL ARE THOSE YOUR LAST WORDS! WHY?! YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME ANYTHING, BUT YOU SPOUT NONSENSE!"

The anger in Hiccup's voice was tempered by sorrow as his voice broke and he began to sob in earnest.

As he held his mate, Toothless could not help but flick his senses about, hunting for anything unfamiliar. He had not been as close to Alda as Hiccup had, and his primary concern was whatever creature had had the ability to overcome the old dragon's considerable power and the sadism to dispatch and display him in such a manner.

"_What did you tell him? He's upset!" _His words were kept private from Hiccup with a good deal of effort.

"_That's slightly obvious isn't it? I gave him Alda's last words. I'm not sure what he said to Hiccup - they were inscribed in a Rune."_

Runes. It seemed that Runes were as much trouble as they were helpful. Alda had been the most knowledgeable about the strange symbols. Now he was dead, and Ryshkaa had stopped Hiccup from harming himself in an attempt to use Runes to bring him back.

"_What should we do now? Is there anything we can do for Alda? What were the traditions for a death in the Silver Age?" _This time Toothless did not bother to hide his words from Hiccup.

"_Well, there's nothing set in stone, but there was an old story that Alda found here in the hall about..." _Ryshkaa was suddenly cut off by Hiccup's voice.

"The Hall of Memory."

"_Yes. But we never figured out what that hall was or where."_

"The Hall of Memory! Second hall! The second hall!"

Toothless gazed down at his mate worriedly. Had this blow come too hard? Was Hiccup's mind damaged? Before he could ask Ryshkaa if perhaps he should take Hiccup away, a whisper of scale on stone sounded from the doorway.

Had the drake not been burdened with his mate, his movements would have mirrored Ryshkaa's precisely. A small cluster of sparks trailed her claws as she sprinted for the entrance, and Toothless was almost literally on her tail the instant Hiccup was layed upon the blood soaked floor.

The female was the first to the archway and she skidded into the tunnel to the left, letting out a shrieking snarl as she did. Toothless' vision began to cloud with red as slow, heated anger began to flow across the space between his mind and Hiccup's. When he too came skidding around the corner, he was just in time to watch Ryshkaa leap onto the back of a Shade that was trying to flee down the passage.

Toothless swiftly leapt forward as the wings of the unknown Shade flared, and he sank his teeth into the membrane near the tip, where a tear would cause serious instability in flight. With a sharp whine, the stranger went completely still. Now that Ryshkaa was able to think clearly, she identified the dragon instantly by scent.

"_Myza!" _An angry, slightly choked sound emanated from Toothless' chest.

_Myza? Ito's second. Was it she that did this? No. No none of Ito's wing were a match for Alda. No Shade was. What was she doing skulking outside of a place so obviously defaced by evil without making herself known or sounding an alarm?_

These things Toothless thought with relative clarity, but unfortunately for Myza, Ryshkaa was not as coherent.

"_What have you done?! Who helped you do this?! __**SPEAK!**__" _

Before Toothless could speak, before Myza even had a chance to respond, Ryshkaa had launched a brunt mental assault towards the older Shade beneath her. And, to Toothless' amazement, Myza's defenses failed. An onrush of images overwhelmed him so quickly that he released his hold on the wing tissue between his teeth.

There were a few drawn out memories that Toothless was actually able to single out and interpret; Ito's wing training on the brink of the Ice Shelf; Zonni being pinned beneath Ito; Hiccup striking upward with his blade. That last one was particularly vivid, and the young male felt a pang of sorrow reverberate through his mind.

The images ceased, and a single scene became clear:

_Myza sitting alone on the very edge of the Ice Shelf, throat open and crying a constantly changing tone to the stars. A sound that reminded all who might have heard it of Ito._

Ryshkaa had become quiet and she slowly slid back to the floor. Myza turned to face them and spoke in a voice that was devoid of the anger and defensiveness that Toothless would have expected.

_"What happened in there? Why is the smell of blood so strong? And why are you so quick to blame me?"_

Ryshkaa's response was quiet and once again nearly devoid of emotion.

_"Come inside and see for yourself. Then you will tell us why you've come here." _For a brief instant Toothless saw anger flash in the old female's eyes, but she gave a grunt of acquiescence and strode past them into the chamber only to snarl in fear and anger at the horrible sight that greeted her.

_"Stars above. What creature could have possibly done this to the Ancient?"_

Toothless came up beside her._"You came to the hall at the wrong time. We'd only found him minutes before you arrived. And that's exactly the question we wanted answers to."_

Hiccup's waves of sorrow were difficult to filter from his voice, but Toothless managed to keep the words calm and even.

Ryshkaa stepped passed the two and placed herself between them and Alda's body. As she turned about, cyan flame licked its way from beneath her paws to surround her in a quick, fluid movement. When she came to rest facing Myza, an enormous white wolf stood staring the older Shade down with glowing golden eyes.

"_My fath..." _Ryshkaa stopped and took a deep breath to calm her still violently rushing thoughts. _"...Alda is dead. He was our best chance at actually striking the southern threat down and now the entire dragon species is vulnerable. I want to know why you came here, Myza." _When she'd finished speaking, her words continued to resound in the silence of the room within the minds of those that had heard her. The echo carried a sense of certainty and authority.

Toothless was no longer able to continue observing Myza, however. His mind dragged his body swiftly back to where Hiccup lay on the floor in a fetal position. He dropped to his side and used his wing to pull Hiccup against the heat of his underside.

After a moment, Myza huffed and dropped to her stomach, making herself comfortable. The blood on the floor was starting to dry and already there were large patches where the now translucent fluid obscured the light of the Runes, rather than refracting it. Ryshkaa did not sit, but began to pace back and forth.

"_In light of what's happened here, my timing is certainly terrible. But I had nothing to do with this... atrocity." _Ryshkaa paused and stared at Myza's eyes, then continued pacing. _"I know that being a member of Sycle's Wing has already set your opinion of Ito and there will be no changing it. But I was his friend." _The wolf snarled low, but did not break its step. _"Ito did not have a happy life. Come to think of it, I'm not sure Ito was able to achieve happiness in any way before Hiccup finally drove his life from his body." _

Toothless felt his face attempting to accomplish an expression the muscles were not meant for. He realized he was trying to raise an eyebrow. Strange, the human tendencies that were creeping into his head. He settled instead for a questioning snort.

"_When my generation was around your age, Ito's chosen mate was soul bonded to another. Ito had fought hard to claim her and he did very much love her. And then she turned away and bound Sycle and herself together, much as those two are." _She jabbed her head toward where Toothless lay with Hiccup._ "It destroyed what shred of happiness remained within Ito after the death of his friends in his youth."_

Ryshkaa let out an agitated canine bark. _"What does this have to do with this place? Why are you here?"_

"_I was the only member of Ito's Wing with the Heart's Fire. I thought that with such a tragic life, the least I could give Ito was a decent passing. A few days ago I created an Identity Rune for him, and I intended to set it within the Hall of Memory."_

Toothless jerked slightly as he felt Hiccup sit up. The boy was staring wide eyed at Myza. Ryshkaa also stopped pacing and stood staring, frozen. A whisper cracked with emotion and hope made its way between the walls of the Hall.

"What is the Hall of Memory?" Myza was looking quizzically at the hybrid, trying to figure out what he and the wolf were thinking. She didn't dare reach out to them.

"_The Hall of Memory was a story that my mother gave to me when I'd only just hatched. Along with a few others, she told me that it was the precious history of Shades and that it had been passed to them by their parents, who'd survived something called the Fall of the Silver Age." _

Hiccup gasped and Ryshkaa yelped quietly. _"Speak." _Ryshkaa's voice was quiet, but still it echoed with authority.

"_Well, they said that once, the Shades were a race that built and worked like the hominids of the south. They had imparted brief, flashing images of thousands of Shades under the same stars and a view of what I now know is the great main chamber of Home Cave. After I came here and saw that room for myself I assumed that these stories had to be true. _

"_The Hall of Memory was a story about what happened to Shades during this Silver Age when they died. A friend or loved one would carry the deceased Shade's Identity Rune to a Hall of Knowledge, where the records and knowledge of the Shades was kept. There, the Identity Rune itself would grant access to the 'second hall', the Hall of Memory, where Identity Runes of hundreds of thousands of deceased Shades are kept." _

When Myza stopped speaking, the silence was profound. Both Hiccup and Ryshkaa had stopped breathing and now, Toothless left pondering while Hiccup's mind whirled with thoughts of things he knew and the implications of what Myza had just told him. But since Toothless himself did not command the Heart's Fire, he found it impossible not to ask.

"_What's an Identity Rune?" _

Ryshkaa answered in a voice that was hushed and breathless. _"An Identity Rune is a single symbol that encompasses all the Runes that represent the thoughts and body of a being. It is a symbol that literally defines and notates exactly who and what you are. It is a record of every thought you've had, and every emotion you've felt. For all theoretical intents and purposes it _is _you without body."_

Toothless thought for a moment. _"But, if that's true, wouldn't an Identity Rune exist as its own being inside someone's head or written on a surface?"_

Now it was Hiccup's turn to respond. His mental voice was just as breathless as Ryshkaa's but at least now he wasn't speaking aloud. _"It does not. There's a missing component that makes a being truly alive. Humans call it the soul, but that is beside the point. Right now the point is, Myza, you're telling us that a chamber exists somewhere near here with the combined knowledge of every Shade that lived during the Silver Age?"_

"_If my parents stories are to be believed."_

"_Such a trove could contain powerful things that even Alda does not know about Runes. Things that could help us destroy the threat." _Ryshkaa's voice was hushed, nearly inaudible.

Hiccup turned toward the central pillar, eyes unfocused and unseeing as his mind's Sphere twirled and flashed incessantly. Toothless thrummed softly and closed his wing around the boy, shielding his eyes from the sight nothing should ever have to see. It pained the drake not to feel any reaction from his mate, and his claw clutched tighter at the Shade scale of his love's arm.

Ryshkaa looked on at the two, her thoughts with Hiccup and Alda and the Inner Hall before a thread of thought weaved its way without consent into her mind.

The note was long and lilting, echoing a harmony of several voices as it grew to a pitch within easy hearing. Three of the Hall's inhabitants jerked from side to side, searching for the noise's source. Ryshkaa stood still and silent, staring upwards at the invisible ceiling, beyond where the caked blood could reach. She started a slow trot toward the door. The gazes of the other three whipped back to center on her.

_"You two, move. Myza, stay and tell the crowd outside what you know since it's about as much as us." _Now that Toothless listened, a quiet hum of voices were easily heard, and from the odd words he picked out, they could smell the four of them inside and were edgy about following them.

Quickly, Hiccup turned and started to follow Ryshkaa, letting Toothless glance for a moment at Myza and judge whether she would do as Ryshkaa said. The older Shade had a mixture of compliance and sorrow in her eyes and the set of her legs and wings.

Outside in the tunnels, Toothless' echoes were met with what was indeed a crowd. A large number of Shades crammed into the tunnel on both sides, shifting nervously and nostrils flared wide with the scent of blood.

One elder Shade on the right stood calm and tranquil in front of the sea of discomfort. He was not very large, but the presence of absolutely no scars beyond a single line across his shoulder attested to a great prowess in combat. As Ryshkaa strode toward him, claws clicking quietly against the stone floor, he visibly stiffened.

_"What transpired inside that Hall, Skinwalker?" _The mob's leader's voice was a quiet baritone, with the intensity of distant thunder. When he refused to step aside, Ryshkaa and her followers were forced to halt. Toothless stared at Ryshkaa's flank, wrought in silver and slowly expanding and contracting, breathing deeply; she was trying to keep calm.

"_It is unclear what happened inside, Gallic. An act of shocking violence and brutality unheard of even in the human cultures from which Hiccup originates, certainly. Myself and these two, and Myza within, were the first ones to respond, being intimate with Alda's nature. But you heard the call just now. They seek a meeting and they won't speak unless I'm present."_

_"I'm sorry to doubt you so, but you cannot deny the suspicious nature of your presence here."_

_"She speaks truly." _There was an audible rustle as all the heads in the tunnel turned to the Hall entrance, and in Toothless' ears, the form of Myza grew bright, vibrant as ten different sets of location echoes beat against her. _"I was the first here. I was closest, and then these three arrived, panicked and horror stricken."_

Ryshkaa heard Hiccup's breath catch as the lie tickled at his mind. Ears and eyes now returned to the imposing Shade opposite Ryshkaa.

_"Step aside, _Moonlighter_." _Ryshkaa had not used her people's word for Shades in a very long time.

For a tense instant, there was utter silence.

_"Thelka, Nehru." _Two Shades stepped out of the audience. _"Accompany Ryshkaa..." _There was an eruption of whispers that flew through the spaces of the mind like the sounds of wind dancing among leaves. When Gallic had identified the wolf, it became clear to Toothless that despite the fact that the Wing leader had known of her true nature, those beneath him and others, had not. _"...and the other two. Do not interfere with them unless they attempt to leave the area around Home Cave." _The two snorted in unison.

With that, Gallic stepped aside, and a passage opened up all the way down the tunnel. Ryshkaa passed into the channel with a single glance behind her, and as Toothless and his mate followed, Nehru and Thelka fell into step behind them.

XXX

Hiccup

Their journey went relatively unmolested in comparison to their encounter with the crowd outside the Hall. That had been the first time since he'd arrived that Hiccup had witnessed so many non-Wing members in a single space. They had all seemed... less predictable; less likely to allow him past without a challenge. They'd seemed wild.

But then, that's how Shades were outside this cave. At least, they were supposed to be. Hiccup took a moment to grin down at Toothless and was rewarded with a swat to the hind quarters with a finned tail. Before Hiccup could laugh, he was struck with a thought.

_"Ryshkaa? Where are we going?"_

If Ryshkaa was going to speak, she was interrupted by a loud set of voices that pressed against Hiccup's thoughts in an oppressive, slightly achy manner.

**"**_**Halt."**_

__So quickly Hiccup almost missed it, Ryshkaa's voice uttered a quiet oath, and a flash of blue flame revealed the lithe female Shade that they'd met just setting out from Berk. But Hiccup could see that something was off; the flames did not disappear with the transformation complete - instead, they danced about the underside of Ryshkaa's stomach, paws, and tail. As the cerulean tongues licked upwards, flashes of white fur became visible briefly, before vanishing behind scale.

And suddenly they were out of the tunnels, and marching downward toward the atrium. Behind them, Hiccup heard the creak and dry whisper of the Three's ancient bodies shifting on their stone shelf.

_**"We commanded you to **_**Halt!**_**"**_

__An even heavier pressure buffeted Hiccup's mind, and this time, Ryshkaa halted and turned, giving Hiccup, Toothless, and the Three a look at her oddly fluxing features. Fur and scale washed smoothing across her face, like ripples in water, flickering between the sights of a long muzzled wolf, and a broad, spade faced Shade, but always the same burning yellow eyes remained and they stared up at the old Shades with grim intensity.

"_Esteemed old ones." _The phrase held more insolence than respect. _"I think we both know that Hyetal will leave if she's kept waiting. It's important we hear what she has to say."_

The voices separated now, and the male spoke.

"_We do not want nor need to have any contact with Ferals such as those that invaded our minds with their horrible noise."_

"_Your brother is dead!" _Hiccup's eyes narrowed as Toothless picked out the tiny pause in which the old dragons remained still and silent, before their recoils and sharp intakes of breath.

"_**Alda? How could this be possible? What could muster such strength as would be necessary to contest with our brother?"**_

Ryshkaa wheeled and returned to her course toward Home Cave's underwater exit. Her four followers continued with her.

"_We don't know. But for the Wolves to come here unexpected and with no warning, something serious must be going on." _

There was a soft sound, as if the Three had intended to speak, but killed their first syllable before it even left their thoughts. Hiccup could barely spare them a thought now, though; Ryshkaa had answered his question.

They were going to see the Wolves! Hiccup smiled.

XXX

Unknown

_These two worry me. This human and Shade._

_They are weaklings. Slightly misshapen prey._

_They are different; something I've not yet encountered, and as such we must be cautious. We don't know what they're capable of._

_I have a force. I could have slaughtered them all myself. Why did you send them?_

_Our race is dangerous. You will take caution as such._

_I will do as I please._

_**You will obey.**_

___..._

_Do not speak so to me again. Contact me only when you've found and subdued the two strange ones. And the Skinwalker. Do not kill them. They could be valuable._

_..._

_Good._

XXX

Ryshkaa

The water was oppressive, and it made it even more difficult to hang on to her shape. Torrents of energy were exploding outward from the rage that bubbled and simmered in her center. Alda was dead.

Someone was going to pay.

As the two Shades rose, Hiccup clinging to Toothless' back, Ryshkaa tried to vent energy by beating her wings particularly hard. The sea foamed and depressedaround her, worming into her scales and spreading fur.

The female closed her eyes, retreating among the angry waves of her thoughts as her other senses guided her flight. Alda had not called out to her; Alda had not called out at all until it was already too late: He'd been taken by surprise. Somehow, he'd been surprised. Not a single being in Home Cave could have stalked the Elder in such a way.

They were rising now, up toward the edge of the great shelf. Ryshkaa felt her progress made difficult as the incendiary flickering made pieces of her wing disappear and reappear rapidly.

_If the attack did not originate from within Home Cave, the only enemy that remains is the Queen._

She was just able to make it over the edge of the cliff before the flames consumed the Shade's body and left her in her true skin; heavily furred. The shift between Shade and Wolf was a jump between two different kinds of heat; one, strong and sustained and strange; the other natural, glowing, insulated by fur and fat.

With a wild shake, the white coat straightened and steamed as pricks of moisture flew every which way. Ryshkaa stood firm as the wind of the other Shades' wings buffeted the snow at her paws. When she turned back to the white plain behind her, three shapes were visible, outlined among the endless drifts. The white wolf started toward the distant silhouettes, hearing Toothless and Hiccup fall quietly into step behind.

"_We will wait here at a distance and observe." _Thelka's voice was silky and quiet, which was strange given the circumstances, but perhaps she relished the opportunity for a look at the Wolves as well as Hiccup did.

Toothless' words carried the pitch of his unease. _"I don't suppose there's much you could do in this short time to prepare us for a meeting with your kind?"_

_"You'll be fine so long as you don't offend anyone." _

The younger voice interjected as if it had been waiting for the opportunity._"But that's my specialty! How can I avoid it in this case?"_

The corner of Ryshkaa's jaw twitched slightly, betraying knowledge of features normally beyond it.

_"Hiccup, just don't actively try to be disrespectful and don't look any of the subordinates in the eye."_

_"Why the subordinates? That seems backwards."_

_"Hyetal is far more understanding, more tolerant of ignorance to the meaning of an outsider's actions. She will look you in the eye and she won't immediately assume it's a challenge."_

The shapes of wolves were clearly resolvable in a single instant; they seemed to jump from a distant point in the tundra to sitting on their haunches and towering over Hiccup at a few wingspans' distance, eye-to-eye with Ryshkaa.

"_When we stop, position yourselves evenly behind me like the two males are."_

Ryshkaa halted, throwing her gaze to the snow two feet in front of her and sitting on her haunches. It was a posture she did not often use when her tail was almost as long as her body. Hiccup skidded to a halt behind her, joined only a fraction of a second later by Toothless.

Patiently, Ryshkaa and the two mismatched mates maintained their positions, Toothless wrapping his tail about his legs while Hiccup stayed standing. As they sat and stood still, the heat of the Alpha's gaze was almost tangible.

_"You look well, little one."_

With those words, Ryshkaa allowed her gaze to rise. A massive set of paws covered in silvery-grey fur lead to legs as wide as Hiccup, where the sterling of the fur darkened and dirtied to resemble the sharpened metal blades of humans. The darker fur blossomed outwards across a slowly breathing chest, reaching with dusky fingers to the round of her shoulders and inner legs. Under her shaded chin, Ryshkaa's gaze halted.

_"It's been a long while since I've been called by that name, Hyetal." _In the silence that followed, Ryshkaa watched through Hiccup's darting eyes as he drank in the three opposing wolves.

Hyetal sat regally, staring down at Ryshkaa with eyes of almost erstaz ice, pale and blue and nearly transparent. Her face was the same dark, dirty grey as her chest, though bands of silvery fur traveled from along her jaw, past her eyes and up the edge of each pointed ear. Ryshkaa knew from memory that the silver continued down her back as well, reappearing at the base of the spine and continuing down the back of each leg to envelop the paws.

The two subordinates she'd brought with her were each a shade of grey so close to black that it would have been indiscernible to a less sensitive eye, but they were indeed grey, and the one on the right had a patch of odd brown fur just under his jaw. These two Ryshkaa had not known by name or even by sight; only their familiar smells, mingled with that of the pack, identified them in her mind.

_"It does seem that your first skin has grown alongside that of your new. And this is the first you've come to me without waver or flicker of scale showing past fur. You've grown."_

The final two words seemed to pass a judgement that had not been made before hand, and Ryshkaa sensed the body before her relax slightly. _"It's good to see you again. And I'm glad to see you are discovering the new and uncovering the old, as you wished at our parting. Tell me of your companions at once. We did not know two-legs could survive so far north without more covering for their legs and shoulders. He smells of dragon and seems unafraid."_

_Inquisitive as always_. It probably would not do any harm to give her a full story. But best to do it quickly, and learn of her reasons for coming here.

_"These are friends I met in lands far to the south. Toothless, whom I freed from the control of the Dragon Queen, and his mate, Hiccup, a human altered drastically in Heart, mind and spirit by love and the Heart's Fire."_

_"Fire is a tool for the wise. In the hands of a fool it destroys homelands and reduces both love and peace to acrid dust. It has always been a concern of the Packs' that our dragon neighbors use such a power so... frivolously." _The Alpha's scrutiny locked with Hiccup's gaze. Her icy blue eyes held a questioning air that the hybrid could not read. Instead, Hiccup stared intently, searching out every fleck of color and drinking in the iris' hue.

"_Ryshkaa, may I address her, or is that not allowed?" _Hiccup's whispery voice was soft and filled with an odd emotion that Ryshkaa had never experienced: a curiosity that was infused with primal, wild hunger.

"_The Fire that made these two as they are was not used frivolously; not even purposefully, in truth. It healed a wound, and by mistake, made Hiccup suitable for a life with his mate. How painful would it be for one to love another if they could not even understand the meaning of each other's words?"_

Hyetal's ears rose and pointed toward the human attentively now.

"_You can speak, Hiccup?"_

This time the boy did not even hesitate. _"I can." _The way the two words ended, as if Hiccup had bitten down on them, suggested he was holding back a deluge of things he wanted to say; mostly questions, Ryshkaa guessed.

The white she-wolf was about to interject before Hiccup could begin his barrage before she was interrupted by the sound of an odd whistling noise. A concussive force rippled the fur of her right side and forced Hiccup's scaled hand against the course pelt to steady his balance. All six present turned.

A very thin and lanky wolf with piebald fur was panting heavily, his head near the ground. It was as though he'd stepped from nowhere and collapsed to his haunches.

"_Dust Tail, you will speak to everyone present, quickly, and then you will get your tail back to the others and rest." _Hyetal's voice gave a sense of calm and control while the heavy breath and darting eyes of the newcomer seemed to speak of panic. Her words were clipped and formal, forcing order on a strange and uncertain situation.

"_They jumped! The shape that Talon Claw saw joined the original group, and they jumped between places! They've somehow invoked the Ice Paw with their wings!" _The wolf took a deep breath. While his voice still shook with fatigue, he seemed slightly more composed. _"They'll be here within half a day."_

For a few moments, nothing could be heard but the low whistle of wind over the untraversed snow plains.

"_What exactly is it you came here to tell us, Hyetal?" _

Toothless was still eyeing the newcomer with suspicion. He had not sensed him in any way until he was already within striking distance, and his protective instincts were humming loudly in the back of his mind, distracting Ryshkaa slightly as her tail twitched and touched the boy's heel.

Without any further prompting, Hyetal inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, and began in the same brief, and formal tone she'd used to command the newcomer.

_"Early this night, our southernmost roamers spotted an enormous cloud of dragons, perhaps a thousand strong and none of them Shades. When they were sure that the swarm was not raiding any human settlements and seemed to have no other objective beyond swift travel to the ice lands, they began to howl word back to us. One of our fastest runners, Talon Claw, was sent to observe them for himself. He witnessed a large flying creature of some kind strike a scout of Home Cave down midair, rent from tailtip to nose. The bones of their chest were cut cleanly in two. Now, the Packs surrounding have sent Dust Tail to inform us that the swarm has used your Heart's Fire to jump closer than expected. The days of warning I sought to bring you have shrunk to hours."_

Almost without thinking, Ryshkaa leapt to her paws and began pacing back and forth between the wolves and Toothless and Hiccup. As she did, the two subordinates on either side of Hyetal snarled low and fierce, but a looks from the corner of Hyetal's eyes silenced them. Hiccup had become oddly still and silent, his thoughts a shrouded, foggy mass. Toothless, on the other hand, had snapped from his protective frame of mind and was thinking with an efficiency born of knowing the life of a drone.

_"Didn't you just say there were no Shades among the group? How could they... 'jump', without a Shade to draw Runes? For that matter, what could possibly produce enough of the Heart's Fire to send thousands of dragons across such distance? Perhaps Alda could, but... What about that shape? The thing that killed the scout?" _

Upon hearing that Ryshkaa froze in place. Her eyes rose to meet Hyetal's for the first time. Luckily, the Alpha's legendary calm was unfailing. She did not respond to the challenge.

"_This shape that tore a Shade open with such ease... where did it come from?"_

"_We took note of it not only for its - excuse me - absolutely flawless strike, but it was travelling south, away from Home Cave, when it rejoined the swarm."_

"Alda." The name was spoken aloud by Hiccup, and the sudden, unexpected noise made the wolves present jump to their feet.

"_Ryshkaa, what are we going to tell the Three? They won't take kindly to this." _Toothless had not leapt at the sound of Hiccup's voice, but remained planted and wide eyed, staring at the white wolf standing beside him.

"_We'd be lucky if they even believe it at all. Even if they do they'll try to ignore it. But we must warn everyone. There's only five hundred Shades in Home Cave at the most, and I'd only trust about fifty of them to fight for the good of the rest, aside from the Wings, of course."_

"_Ryshkaa." _Hyetal's voice was deadly serious and calm to a degree that was frightening, each syllable as smooth and tranquil as her namesake. _"You know that I want our two peoples to cooperate, but I will not risk the safety of the Packs to stand and fight against dire odds. We will remain hidden. Please, let us know if we can help in any way beyond combat. For now, go. It will take every precious minute you have to convince those three fossils." _She turned her eyes on Hiccup. _"If you ever find it in your power, I would love to speak with you two further. Please seek out my pack, for they will know your scent and sight, and will not be wary without cause."_

The three wolves turned as one, running against the snow. Dust Tail rose a few seconds later and padded off at a much slower pace.

"Whatever that thing was that killed the scout, it has to be the same being that attacked Alda. And it has an enormous degree of power, if it was able to jump a group of a thousand such a distance." Hiccup spoke aloud while keeping his eyes fixed on the white landscape where the wolves had just seemed to step through a curtain of white.

Ryshkaa turned about and launched herself back toward the cliff. As she did, she released her hold on her mammalian body and allowed the fire within to consume her fur, replacing it with the armor of a Shade.

"_Regardless, we need to prepare Home Cave - either to flee, or to fight."_

XXX

Hiccup

As the two Shades dropped through the hole into the Atrium, Hiccup's mind hummed with the encounter he'd just witnessed. The Astral Wolves had been amazing; so different, and yet so similar to Shades. One of the most striking things was their size - a wolf on Berk would be considered big if its head passed above the waist of Gobber. Ryshkaa's species was enormous, particularly the Alpha, Hyetal. Hiccup's gaze was only level with the lowermost part of her chest!

While they marched from the Atrium up through the enormous space of Home Cave, Hiccup considered the fact that an invasion was coming and knew there were not nearly enough to fight against an invasion of a thousand. Perhaps Alda could've...

They were about halfway to the Three's vaunted ledges when Ryshkaa began to speak. Her voice was even and never rose above conversational volume, but Hiccup felt power ripple through his mind, disturbing his thoughts and making her words impossible to ignore.

"_Shades of Home Cave. Come. Gather in this place and hear the tidings brought to us in words from the ice. Shades of Home Cave..." _She continued to repeat those words, and almost immediately shapes began to appear in the darkness around them, following their progress as quiet voices began to whisper on the edge of Hiccup's hearing.

It was truly incredible to see. When Ryshkaa stopped at the top of the slope, in view of the Three, the floor around and much of the ceiling space was no longer visible past the immense body of Shades, hundreds around on the ground, and hundreds above gripping stalactites. The whispers were so numerous that they drowned thought with their droning vagueness. The scent of so many dragons in one place burned in Hiccup's nose.

With a deafening creaking, the Three on their ledges rose to their paws. The sound silenced every single dragon in the room.

"_**Why do you agitate our family, Skinwalker? We will not tolerate your presence further if you do not show us-"**_

"_Respect?" _The Three were not accustomed to being talked over. When Ryshkaa interrupted them, it was such a surprise that they were silenced, and now the Hall rang with the unsounding rashness of her disrespect. _"You presume respect from me? From everyone here? Why is it that we should respect you, Vipertongue?" _

The silence that had reigned now deepened into a black void. It seemed as though every single living thing in the cavern had ceased breathing.

Only one of the Three responded. _"How dare you speak so to we that protect all present, we that..."_

"_You that sit by and let murder befoul the stone that we call home!"_

It seemed to Hiccup that the second interruption was no more expected than the first. The old dragon that had spoken had a peculiar set to its jaw. It looked as though he were about to regurgitate his breakfast in agitation.

"_The combined mental power of you Elders is certainly formidable. You were slowly becoming close to a match for Alda. As such it seemed perfectly reasonable to trust you with the mental difference of this place. Who better except Alda himself, though he was far too busy to simply sit and stare, as you do from your dusty shelves." _The soft anger of Ryshkaa's tone was building, and now Hiccup could hear it echo with potent, righteous venom.

"_Alda was the most powerful Shade of our time. He was great beyond the extent of any possible praise I could speak to his name! How then could it be that he was overcome and slaughtered in a way so sadistic, it makes the mind balk to even consider?" _Here she released the image of Alda and drove it outwards in a powerful mental shout. Many of those present had not witnessed the horror within the cave and when the sight invaded their minds, most of the Shades present shuddered, filling the cave with the rustle of scales.

" _Any living creature of such a mind and intent must not only be incredibly evil, but also powerful even beyond Alda himself." _Her voice dropped to a hiss so full of anger and contempt, Hiccup shivered slightly despite not being its recipient.

"_How is it that such a creature passed beyond the knowing of you, the most 'respected'..._" the word was laced with a mocking tone that was scathing beyond anything Hiccup had heard before. "... _protectors of Home Cave?_"

Hiccup's eyes were released from Ryshkaa as he and ever other eye in the room turned with an audible rustle toward the Three. The old dragons seemed to have deflated slightly, their sagging skins mere tarps to blanket white bones. They were faced with an angry female Shade in a stance that suggested a challenge and the questioning eyes of every Shade of Home Cave as well.

"_Hiccup." _Toothless' quiet, private voice almost startled Hiccup into motion, but he managed to remain still. _"Be prepared. If the Three attack Ryshkaa will need assistance to resist them." _And as these words sank in, suddenly Hiccup felt the touch of Skuru against his mind, followed at once by Sycle and Kale. Sycle's Wing were joining their thoughts, bracing against the possibility of a mental assault. And as Hiccup's thoughts became a small part of a greater whole, a tiny amount of knowledge came into his head. Ryshkaa was the source.

_The Wings are not only fighting groups. They are more important than soldiers and certainly more powerful. Alda's siblings only have their great strength because they are three experienced minds working in tandem. When many minds work as one, they become greater than the sum of each individual. If the Wings are of like mind, the Three do not control Home Cave._

"_**How do you expect us to account for an absence of knowledge? The fact that we were unaware suggests that this adversary was so powerful that we could not have resisted it anyway had we detected it."**_

Despite the fact that their words were in tandem, the syllable's seemed to tremble slightly.

"_I contest that."_ A soft and resonant baritone rang through the minds of all present.

Whispering exploded through the Shade's gathered as approval after approval was spoken quietly to neighbors. Gallic was level headed and deadly in combat. He was respected. His voice held authority. _"If it is as you say, an inspection of your thoughts should reflect that. I propose such an inspection be carried out by a neutral group from among the Wings. It will settle the matter."_ The whisperings and murmurings shifted to tones of ascension and agreement.

"_Our mind is not for you younglings to rummage around in!" _The voice was angry. And singular. As though one of the Three had broken ranks in their rage.

"_You are dwellers of Home Cave like the rest of us. Alda was very clear - there is no ruler here. We are cooperative. All of our minds work together to decide on a course of action. You are not sovereign, any more than Ryshkaa will be if she turns out to be correct. We are equals." _

Gallic's calm voice drove all indecisiveness from the many Shades behind him. Those that had feared the Three's rebuke now spoke out along with their neighbors, calling for an inspection. Gallic spoke again, and surprisingly, his voice meshed with that of Ryshkaa.

"_**Will you allow us entry?" **_

It was then that the attack came; the Three lashed out with anger and indignation in a whirling of emotion and focused power. The mental blow was formidable - had Ryshkaa stood alone, her mind might have been lost beyond repair, but as it was, with six minds holding firmly together deflected the mighty stroke, Ryshkaa only experiencing a slight discomfort to her thoughts.

The ripple of the attack reverberated outward through the crowd as Sycle's Wing made every single Shade of Home Cave aware of the Three's violence.

A new voice spoke. Like the Three's, this voice consisted of multiple other voices, but unlike the Three, this was far more than a trio. In it, Hiccup heard Gallic and Sycle, as well as eight other voices at least that radiated authority.

"_**We of the Wings have determined that you are unfit to guard Home Cave from any threat."**_

"_Wait." _For the second time, Ryshkaa interrupted. _"Before you bestow a verdict for their crimes, I must give my tidings to Home Cave. I believe it will affect your decision."_

The Wing leaders seemed far less offended by the interruption than the Three.

"_**Proceed."**_

"_There is no easy way to say this. An invasion is coming. The Queen has sent her minions numbering nigh on a thousand. That is the news that my first people passed to me today." _

The many voices of Home Cave now exploded, talking over each other and yelling, in an extremely unordered fashion. Honestly, what was there for them to do? They could either run and try to find a new home, separate from the one they'd known for so long, or they could stand and fight for it, which would almost certainly end in their deaths. Hyetal had specifically said that she could not offer to fight alongside them. They were alone in this battle.

Hiccup's eyes widened.

He tried to speak, but his thoughts were lost in the tempest of voices around him. _"Toothless! I need to speak to them!" _Without hesitation, Toothless rose onto his hind paws, turning toward the shuffling crowd behind him, he let out a mighty bellow that buffeted those standing directly before him, and silenced the room. Giving Hiccup a chance to be heard.

"_There is a third option beyond fight and flight! We might travel to my home island of Berk. The Vikings there also fight the Queen, though they are unaware of the full scope of their struggle. There we could plan an attack and strike the Nest while a large portion of their forces are here in the North!" _

"_And how do you propose we get there, human?! The enemy is coming north, so how do you propose to move south without being attacked?" _The voice belonged to a Shade that Hiccup had not met before.

Ryshkaa responded now. _"The Alpha told us that the entire invading group was shifted faster than flight using the Heart's Fire. I believe with help, I could accomplish this feat! We can pass them by with them none the wiser!" _A smile was becoming audible in her voice. This plan appealed to her.

"_I will act as the interpreter. Three options lay before us: Flight deeper into the North; fight to defend Home Cave,\; and attacking the Nest, starting on Hiccup's home island. Speak to me and inform me of your answer."_

After speaking, Gallic lay down and closed his eyes as all the minds of Home Cave began to communicate with his own.

"_Is it really possible for him to handle so many thoughts?" _Hiccup's question was greeted with amused eyes by Ryshkaa.

"_In the past, Gallic has acted as the mouthpiece and interpreter in disputes involving everyone. If anyone can determine everyone's will, he can. Why don't you go forth and give him your opinion? He took mine and those of the other Wings first directly from their leaders."_

A small smile tugged at the corner of Hiccup's lip. He sat down on the floor, Toothless falling to his stomach beside him. As the young hybrid relaxed and leaned into his friend, he closed his eyes.

lll

Immediately, familiar white speckled blackness surrounded him. Before he could adjust to the feeling of weightlessness, he was overwhelmed by a shocking cacophony of noise.

All around him, in what was normally nothing but empty space, sparkling lights of infinite colors flashed and flared, crackling over the surfaces and in between the gaps of hundreds of dark spheres hovering around him. Above they stretched up to an apex and below, all the way down to meet again, forming an enormous ball that he realized with a start that he and Toothless were part of. Looking off to his right, outlined against the glowing shapes behind him, his mate floated in all of his masculine beauty, starring in amazed wonderment at the sight before him.

Looking behind, their two spheres orbited each other in such close proximity they almost touched. Out and around, Hiccup spotted two more pairs that orbited in the same way; life partners; soulbound.

As these sights registered, Hiccup also spotted the Shades, numerous as the spheres and infinitely more difficult to see. They zipped in between the minds of their fellows, visiting, talking, and here and there, fighting. It was like Home Cave had been distilled down into its most basic form - no mountain, no ice shelf, no cave, only a closely knit community of hundreds sharing life and interacting, though at the moment most of the inhabitants feared for their lives.

"_Where do you suppose..." _But the boy never finished his thought; he'd spotted Gallic. Below them, in the very center of the enormous ball, a disc of pure white floated upon ethereal winds, a thick cloud of Shades circling it. Through gaps, Hiccup caught sight of a Shade lying comfortably on his stomach, paws before him and tail undulating slowly back and forth.

"_We'd better get in line." _Toothless' voice managed to pick up a smile despite their dire situation. Even now, as the entire body of Home Cave decided on their fate, Hiccup could not help but joyously marvel at the wonders of his new species.

More out of habit than necessity, Hiccup pulled himself over Toothless' shoulder and hunkered down into a flying position. As they descended, many a Shade passing doubled around and threw nonplussed looks at the scaled human.

"_Quite popular, you are."_

"_Shut up." _Hiccup made a point to make eye contact with each Shade that stared at him. Most jerked and veered away, but a select few stayed and gazed into the eyes of a newly born species. To these few Hiccup offered a smile. All were confused by the transformation of his face, but his warm feelings that he sent their way bridged the knowledge gap.

"_Please come forward, you two... if the rest don't mind?" _The tranquil voice echoed off the spheres all around, seeming magnified by the space. Instantly, a large opening appeared in the tight cloud of Shades, allowing Toothless to easily pass through the crowd and land on the white dais.

Before them, Gallic lay, his tail passing evenly behind him. His eyes were closed even here within the Mindspace. Hiccup thought it hard to hold the thoughts and opinions so as to form a judgement from them.

"_Your level of concentration must be amazing." _

A gurgling laugh.

"_I merely have a natural affinity for this place. I much prefer it to reality. And my talents have only been honed as I offer this service for every major decision of Home Cave."_

Toothless responded curiously. _"How often are major decisions made?"_

"_Once every two decades or so. And in the past they didn't have quite as much input as this one does. Now, I called upon you two specifically because I'd like to know, as would everyone else I think: Do you actually believe that we can cooperate with the Vikings of Berk? Rumors have been circulating since you arrived that your people are primitive and violent, killing dragons for pure enjoyment and ingesting their flesh."_

Hiccup frowned.

"_I'm not sure where such rumors would originate, but that image of humans is a little embellished. Vikings kill dragons because if they didn't, they'd steal all their food. I know that they've been feeding their Queen with our crops and cattle, but they've no idea about her. They've never even stepped foot on the island where the Nest lies. My plan depends on me being able to convince them of the benefits of allying themselves with the Shades... or at the very least, demonstrating the severity of their fate should they refuse."_

"_And by that you refer to their destruction at the claws of the Queen?!" _Gallic's voice was as emotional as Hiccup had yet heard it, loud and sharp.

"_Of... of course." _

"_Good." _The voice was once again quiet and even. _"Toothless, do you believe your mate can accomplish this?"_

When Toothless responded, his voice radiated smiling warmth. _"I know he can."_

With another gurgling chuckle, Gallic opened one eye to look at them.

"_You're opinions have been considered. Thank you."_

A thought suddenly struck Hiccup. _"Gallic, will the Three's opinion be considered?"_

Gallic's tail ceased it's motion for a heartbeat before continuing. _"No. The Wing's have decided to bar them from this Pool. The leaders are confining them; if you wish to see, they're that way," _The older Shade's tail swung and stopped to indicate a direction to the left and behind him,_ "but please do not distract the Wings. The Three are powerful and deserve caution."_

"_Thank you for speaking with us!" _Hiccup climbed back onto Toothless' back and they leapt from the dais. Looking behind him, Hiccup saw a multitude of other Shades land to confer with Gallic.

It was a very short flight away, but the sight that met their eyes now was the very antithesis of the gathering behind them.

A trio of spheres rotated around each other at a rapid speed, far faster than their own minds did. At certain angles, the three spheres were actually in contact. Light sparked in great bolts across the surface, jumping between the connected minds and occasionally firing outward. Those lightning bolts of thought that tried to escape away from the Three were met with a ring composed of thirty or so other spheres. These others also were connected and linked by erratic rays of light, but they never touched. As bolt after bolt flew outward from the Three, they were inevitably slowed, pulled down toward the ring and redirected, flying harmlessly into emptiness.

Faintly, cries of anger could be heard, as well as a multitude of voices speaking in soft, slow unison. Hiccup could not make out what they said, but he was sure it was originating from the ring.

"_Even if they're horrible and mean and negligent, this makes me sad."_

"_Such a fate is cruel for any creature, though they are more than deserving I think."_

Hiccup sighed. _"Let's go, Toothless. I'd like to spend what little time we have resting, and my head is starting to hurt."_

"_Still a greenhorn." _Toothless chuckled as he bolted for one of the many speckled exits that stood in place of stars.

lll

Gallic's collection of thoughts took nearly an hour. After opening his eyes to the Shade-scented cavern, Hiccup nestled down against Toothless, letting the warmth of his mate seep deep into his center, bolstering the furnace that had replaced his heart.

"_You know Toothless, I never actually thought we'd return." _Hiccup spoke with eyes closed and relaxed.

"_Neither did I."_

At that moment, Gallic's eyes snapped open and he rose to his paws as the rustlings of scale once again fell silent.

XXX

Dust Tail

It was truly a sight to see. As the snow became lit by the glow of the Ancestors in the sky and a full moon beat down on the ice, a great black mass rose from the mountain. Hundreds of Moonlighters flying under the same sky; it was not a sight he'd witnessed in his own lifetime. Now, as the great mass swirled, a pang of sorrow resonated in the speckled wolf's heart.

_How must it be to be driven from one's home, one's place of belonging. And not to know if you'd ever return. Do our prey experience this feeling of pain when we drive them from their dens? Take their family?_

Dust Tail remembered the teachings: Prey could not exist without predators; the inverse was true. All was in balance and it was the way of the world.

He watched half of the great mass of black split away and veer Northward.

_The hybrid and his mate were here for such a short time. I hope they survive. I think I'd like to run with them. It would be nice having new blood running in the Ice._

Suddenly, the remaining dragons turned southward. As Dust Tail watched in amazement, violet lightning leapt from the center of the group to strike each and every other dragon around its origin. The wolf blinked.

The light, and the Shades, were gone.

**AN: Bet you all thought I was dead! I'm so sorry for the months of waiting but I'm about to graduate next month so life got a little crazy unexpectedly. With any luck 35 won't be so long coming. To all those who sent PMs during my absence, my sincerest thanks. Those messages were some of the best motivation for anything that I've ever received. The usual thanks to LEPShot for his amazing patience and ability to sit with me online for hours at a time writing and discussing, he has a very prominent hand in many scenes of this chapter. Once again thank you for reading and showing your support! You guys are the best! Peace!**


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: That ought to teach me to give myself a solid deadline and publish it. I'm sorry everyone that this took so much more time than my messages suggested. My first round of finals for this year jumped on my back pretty hard. But now there is nothing but time (hopefully)! Anyway, the usual praise for LEPShot, without whom what you read below would be a mere shadow of itself. Enjoy!**

Chapter 35

Runes are only as powerful as their wielder; their application is restricted by the Shade's imagination and creativity. However, even those who do not excel in efficiently applying the tools offered to them can perform great and mighty feats by utilizing multiple Runes at once. When using more than one command at a time, one can accomplish more complex tasks. For example, if one combines such Runes as _Repel_, _Border_, and _Prey_, it is possible to create a boundary which the user's idea of prey cannot cross.

Such groups of Runes must be carefully arranged within a circular design when drawn, or within the mind of the Shade who uses them. In so binding the Runes to a particular task, it becomes possible for the group of Runes to draw energy from different sources. A boundary maintained around Home Cave, for example, could draw on each and every of the Imbued within and thus make the overall cost to maintain the Runes minimal.

_What we were able to do in so little time that day was amazing. Such a discovery made use of in so little time was amazing in and of itself. At the time I could not conceive of how Hiccup figured such a thing out on his own..._

_No, it's happening again. Get ahold of yourself!_

Heartbeat of the Arctic

Ryshkaa

XXX

Unknown

Stones that had long felt the slight grindings and rustlings of scale and claw lay silent. Passages and tunnels once buzzing with the comings and goings of large creatures were now abandoned and desolate. Darkness prevailed in the halls of Home Cave, and the only warmth was the muted glow of the Earth's blood flowing far below.

A single flare of light appeared, illuminating a very strange sight within the atrium. Orderly ranks of dragons of all the common varieties found in the southern oceans sat in an arc around a central point, silent, and still; Nadders, Zipplebacks, Gronkles, and Nightmares all sat, listening. Waiting.

At the focal point of the arc, a dark shape sat before the sluggishly burning globule it had divulged from its throat. In the low light, the only visibly identifiable feature of the shape was its silhouette; bulky, muscled limbs held a lithe and powerful torso a foot or so from the cave floor. Narrow wings lifted slightly from a ridged spine. A thin and whiplike tail writhed slowly back and forth, contrasting with the still and steadily breathing body.

For a period of an hour, all was still. The fire at the central shape's paws went out and was not rekindled. Throughout the course of the hour, strange glowing shapes continuously appeared, shifted and disappeared on the floor around the central shape.

When the hour had passed, the central shape threw back its head head in a single flex of its sinuous neck and let out an angry shriek to bounce about the chamber, echoing and amplifying until the pitch was beyond hearing. With it, the shape also released a jet of dark, sickly indigo flames into the air, painting the cave walls with dancing shadow.

The assembled dragons did not react.

The shape promptly turned and leapt upon one of the Gronkles. With great sycle-shaped claws, the shape rent the Gronkle's hide, muscle and sinew from its bones. In great sweeping strokes the creature's life was carved away. The dragon remained impassive. Cold. Staring.

Finally breathing heavily, the shape stilled, and began to snap up pieces of meat from the floor.

The assembled dragons continued to stare directly ahead.

XXX

Hiccup

Suffocating darkness was all around. Hiccup felt the yank of inertia as Toothless accelerated to impossible speed, while the pressure of the void asserted itself against his ears and eyes. Despite having performed the action before, by accident, he was still not prepared for the strange feeling, especially now that it was accompanied by almost three-hundred others jumping in tandem with him.

Hiccup glanced around.Before him in the blackness hung a circle, formed of the same lambent, glowing lines that had defined the Hall of Knowledge. Within the Circle, three Runes were arranged equidistant from each other. For two he was not certain of the meaning, but the third was undeniably _Speed_. Outside the circle, several other Runes were flickering, but he was entirely unsure of their meaning. When he touched them, he only received vague notions of the sun moving, plants aging, and a Darkness. This final feeling frightened him, so he focussed on what he knew the Runes would do together.

They would cancel the interior of the circle, and themselves after a set amount of time.

From the topmost, bottommost, leftmost, and rightmost edges of the configuration, subtle lines of indigo ran into the darkness behind, above and below Hiccup. And when he turned about, a wondrous sight greeted him; a group of more than two hundred Shades soared through the blackness. Each one was connected to their brethren by the same hairlines of flickering blue. On eaches face burned a single Rune, one that Ryshkaa had known, but had not learned how to implement. The Rune was very difficult to define in human words, but the closest that Hiccup could come, was _One-With-Many_. These Runes all acted as guides; anchors for the configuration before Hiccup to act upon.

One of the other two Runes within the circle took energy from the other Imbued within the configuration. At the back of the group, Ryshkaa. To the left and right, Skuru and Myza, respectively. The entire group made up an enormous glowing disk that hovered in the void, traveling at speeds any other living creature would be hard-pressed to comprehend. The amazement and wonder before him was almost enough to distract Hiccup from the alarming feeling that he was being drained of blood - the ring of Runes before him rapidly absorbed his Heart's Fire despite also feeding from the three behind him.

He had just enough time to watch the circle of Runes around the ring's outer edge flare brightly before he lost consciousness and fell forward onto Toothless' back.

XXX

Toothless

A blast of air hit Toothless' face and joined the slipstream around him, shoving his ears down and parting his jaw slightly. He found himself in the sky, at an altitude he had never before experienced - simply breathing seemed to wind him slightly.

Before the jump, they'd climbed to an enormous height, leaving clouds beneath and allowing the air to become noticeably cooler. Hiccup would probably have swiftly felt the ill effects of the altitude before his scales had grown, but now the only significant patches of human skin left to him were under his left arm, along the lower right side of his chin, and a large patch across the ribs on his right side. The other patches of human skin were very small and not a significant danger. Skuru had brought his cloak to him before their departure as well.

Now, the boy had fallen asleep from exertion and lay sprawled along his back, the wing mechanism tugging slightly as Hiccup's foot sagged. He'd locked it in gliding position before the jump, but it was still slightly worrisome. Toothless wasn't sure how the leather and iron would fare at these low temperatures. It had been such a relief for Hiccup to replace the automatically adjusting fin with the mechanism that tied his flight to his mate, and even now with his human sleeping peacefully, the physical link between them sent a pleasurable shudder through the length of his body.

The entire group, having been connected mentally for the jump, now fragmented and separated into individuals and Wings, but Ryshkaa's voice still rose above them all.

"_We're following Hiccup and Toothless home! Everyone stay on them and Sycle's Wing. Lockwing and gliding will be our best option to reach Berk without incident! We'll discuss chain of command in a short time, but I'd like to give Hiccup time to awaken."_

There was a murmur of general assent and agreement. Ryshkaa dove to form with Sycle, Kale and Skuru, with Toothless at the point.

_"Are you two alright?" _Sycle's rough voice was the most compassionate that Toothless had ever heard it.

_"I'll be fine in a few hours. I ate an enormous Khada before we left!" _Skuru sounded smug and satisfied with himself, both for the size of fish he'd hunted, and for the role he'd played in the group's escape. With a grunt and an audible 'click', the young shade locked the joints midway along his wings and at the base. The physical relief in the muscles was tangible throughout the Wing as one by one, the Shades all ceased the strain on their muscles and allowed their skeletal structures to take the full weight of their bodies against the lift in their wings.

From an altitude this high, the group could glide all the way to Berk.

_"Ryshkaa, may I speak with you?" _The formal and awkward wording made Toothless squirm internally, but he couldn't see another way to easily start a conversation.

_"Of course, Toothless." _The words came with the sound of a smile; aggravating, but Toothless ignored it.

_"I'm a little confused about something. Before we left, you and Hiccup spent a long time talking too rapidly for me to keep pace with, and then you announced that you'd both discovered a way to get us all away safely. Did Hiccup just help you figure out how to do what he did, or did Alda teach him things that were beyond what you'd learned?" _For a long while, Ryshkaa was silent. Toothless was about to continue, but Ryshkaa spoke up before he could.

_"I'm a little concerned about that, Toothless. The entire thing was Hiccup's idea. He showed me that ring configuration, and he asked me to present the idea to the group. I'd never seen some of those Runes before. And I've certainly not learned about using a circle, which is not a Rune in and of itself, to affect the actions of other Runes. Skuru never learned that sort of thing either. And Myza asked a lot of questions, so... she couldn't have. I think Alda chose to impart knowledge to Hiccup that he didn't to anyone else."_

_"And he didn't explain?"_

_"I asked him! All he would say was, 'Trust me, and trust Alda'. Perhaps he just learned far more quickly than any of the rest of us."_

_"I'll ask him about it when he wakes up. He was so concerned for everyone else while we were preparing that I didn't want to pressure him about details. But I've also been meaning to ask you... did we give Alda a proper send off? You know, by Old standards?" _The curiosity in Toothless' voice helped to lighten the question.

_"During the Silver Age, when a Shade expired of old age, they would step out onto the edge of the Ice Shelf. At the moment of death, the containment that keeps our Fire within us fails, and it all escapes at once. It was tradition to inscribe Runes into the scales of such a Shade to allow them to burn. As their own Fire consumes them, the Shade steps forward into oblivion and their loved ones stand in vigil and remembrance. We were only able to consign Alda to Fire. Since he had no Fire left himself, Hiccup gave his own to immolate his teacher. I joined him when I realized what he was doing."_

The sight had been strange and beautiful. Hiccup had lifted his hand, and an elegant tongue of indigo flame had arced out, taking hold of Alda's body. Flames from the mouths of Skuru and Ryshkaa joined it, and soon the entire pillar was alight. The Flame had washed outwards across the entire chamber in a wave before vanishing, leaving nothing of Alda, and the Runes on the invisible walls glowed more brightly than they ever had before, scourged of the blood that had obscured them.

_"I think it was a memorial worthy of the old days." _Ryshkaa glanced toward him, and Toothless could see gratitude in her eyes. When she spoke, a strained smile was evident, but he didn't really mind it.

_"I can see the pain in your eyes when you look at me. I know you think you'll never bring yourself to love me as an equal, but I hope that we can be friends, Toothless. I never expected to have friends beyond Skuru. Then I met Alda and became a part of Sycle's Wing. Even so, I still thought having friends beyond that original _family_ was not possible. I think we could be friends, Toothless."_

The young dragon felt the corners of his mouth pull slightly, trying to mimic a human's.

_"I think I'll be able to forgive you, Ryshkaa. Grasping the past is not healthy. When we left Berk, and Hiccup cast off the shackles of the Vikings, there was such a change in him. He was so happy! Allowing old wounds to fester leads to Ito's end, cold and alone. From this moment forward, I shall strive to act as Hiccup does." _The weight of these thoughts had not truly hit him until he'd spoken them. He could despise Ryshkaa for her actions in the past for hundreds of years, but it would do no good. She'd grown beyond herself, and he himself had grown beyond what he'd once been. It was foolish to waste the opportunity of a friend, for a past that could no longer touch either of them.

A warm glow was just beginning to suffuse his body, when on his back, he felt Hiccup stir.

XXX

Astrid

Astrid shivered slightly, feeling the Fury behind her shift to bring his folded wing down on her lap. The cloak that Gobber had brought in his pack, along with the heat from the dragon, chased her discomfort away, and left her feeling sorry for the Viking across from her. Gobber was shivering, but not violently. His large fur cloak and heavy winter clothing kept him warm enough to stay the onset of pneumonia and frost bite, but he wasn't in any way happy.

In the past few hours of hiking, Astrid had started from her first suspicions of Hiccup and spoken all the way up to her current circumstances, recoloring the story here and there by leaving out any mention of 'Hiccup's' voice in her head. Now, with the partial moon burning silver amongst the enormity of the stars and frost forming around them, Gobber shivered and she breathed calmly, her Terror resting comfortably against her neck.

"Seriously, he won't bite. Just get over here and warm up. I don't want you to lose your other hand and we can't light a fire!"

"I- I'll b-b-be damned if I g-get any c-c-closer to that thing!"

Astrid bit her lip hard, nearly drawing blood. Gobber was stubborn, but she'd always thought him adaptive. He'd survived the losses of two limbs, and even profited by them with his prosthetic attachments, but his deep-rooted animosity to dragons was overriding his common sense. _"_You'll be damned if your arms and legs fall off and you freeze solid for your stubbornness!_" _Gobber remained silent, though as Astrid watched, his shivering became more and more apparent. His cloak was beginning to jerk as the body beneath it spasmed.

"Gobber, please. If you freeze - and you _are _freezing - Berk won't have what chance it has, slim as it is. Stoick relies on you to keep everything working properly, and the people all trust you. If you allow your petty aversions to rule you unto death, it's them you're failing, and them you're letting down."

Gobber refused to look at her.

"I dont want to resort to threats, but if you don't cooperate, I'll have the big guy jump on you, and we'll force you to warm up. Got it?"

For a moment, there was silence but for the rustling of the shuddering Viking's cloak. Then, slowly, Gobber uncurled from his fetal position, taking a shuffling step forward.

The Fury's wing lifted. Astrid stood and felt the icy breeze wash over her chest, and with a gasp, she stepped to Gobber's side and helped him over to the dragon, who was resting against a tree. As he sank down against the warmth, the large Viking let out a sigh of relief, and as the wing and tail came down to shelter them, Astrid breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

XXX

Unknown

Among great walls of stone, gloom and shadow danced between scaled feet, over curved horns, in and out of the assemblage of winged reptiles standing as still as the grey parapets enclosing them. A muted, pulsing glow from between two particularly large columns failed to cast any shadow, though the looming head over the light was distinguishable to all the opened, unseeing eyes facing it.

All present could hear the words passed from the head to the other speaker, though the only reaction was a ball of rolling flame gathered within the jaws of the hunched, encircled figure.

"_**...the **_**entire**_** cave? Every last one of them?"**_

_"__**Gone. Fire, scale and sound speak of no living creature within this mountain.**__"_

_"__**...Find them. They fled somewhere... north, perhaps. They did not simply vanish. FIND THEM!**__"_

There hadn't been tremors this far north in millennium, but every last dragon felt the rumble below their paws at those final words. With the rumbling came the extinguishing of the glow, though darkness had no time to savor its reclamation of the cave as the dancing orb of flame exploded onto the floor, illuminating ranks of bloodied and broken dragons, victims of a fiery rage.

The encircled figure turned about and bolted past the silent reptiles, disappearing faster than any living creature could blink. After a moment, the dragons rose in unison with a great shuffling of scales, turning and following as the fire exhausted itself on the floor behind them.

XXX

Hiccup

The world returned with a jolt. There was steady, thundering pain in Hiccup's head, and it reminded him vividly of that first day he'd heard Toothless speak. Without moving or lifting an eyelid, Hiccup took stock of himself and his surroundings.

He was lying flat on his back, with the wind whipping his hair about. Judging from the cool feel against his scales, it was many degrees below freezing, and the tightness in his lungs confirmed the great altitude. Briefly, he took in a flash of the view from Toothless' eyes. He tried to make it quick and light, that his mate might not notice, but was met with terrible failure.

"_You're not very stealthy when it comes to your mind, are you?" _The lighthearted nature of his partner's words did not disguise the tone of concern.

"_It's only been a few months, give me a break. In a year I'll be just as light and feathery as you. Did we end up in the right place?"_

"_I think so. I don't recognise these waters, especially from a height that dwarfs mountains, but Ryshkaa knows where she's going. She was a deep territory scout for at least five years. But before we do any talking to her, you're going to explain."_

"_Explain what?"_

With a jerk, Hiccup felt his inner eye forced open. He floated among a mixture of milky mist and writhing, sinuous tendrils of darkness. In the next instant he felt a hard surface materialize at his back and the great heavy form of Toothless was above him, pressing down on his bare chest with a paw that sent tingling warmth radiating warmth throughout his body.

"_Look here, shrimp. You may be a talented smith, and the only member of an entirely new hybrid species, but on the matter of the Heart's Fire, you were as much a novice as I was a few weeks ago. Now, Ryshkaa tells me that you're concocting designs that can move hundreds of dragons over enormous distances in the blink of an eye, and you don't share a single detail of it with the dragon you claimed with your own teeth. I may be overreacting just slightly, but this has me a little worried!"_

Hiccup could not stop a smile from spreading across his face - Toothless' concern, while pushy, was touching all the same.

"_Well... I didn't want to bother anyone with... That is, it's a little funny where that idea... uhh... There's a... well actually I'm not really sure... er..."_

Quite suddenly, with a soft rushing, the surface at his back dissolved and Hiccup found himself enveloped by Toothless' great black wings.

"_I'm sorry, Hiccup. I didn't mean to overwhelm you. Just tell me what happened."_

"_That's just it! I'm not exactly sure of what happened!" _There was another, much louder rushing sound, as the mist and shadow all around began to move away and rotate about the two.

"_Show me."_

III

Like the tails of many of the four-dozen Shades still within the Hall, Hiccup paced back and forth, back and forth. His mate rested behind him, head atop paws and tail lightly curling around his human's ankle whenever it was within reach.

In his mind, the hybrid tried to turn everything that had happened in the past hour into a workable, survivable plan. It was a task he had been failing at since Galic's haunting announcement: _"Half will travel to Berk. Half will flee north."_

Moving over two-hundred Shades across a thousand miles of ice before a swarm of hostile dragons that outnumbered them eight to one found them or returned to the Nest and attacked Berk... He simply couldn't see how to make it happen.

"I just..." The spoken words jarred Toothless' eyes open, the fins on his tail wrapping more securely around Hiccup's leg. The boy faltered in his step, tumbling onto the stone with a quiet yelp and yanking his foot free in the process.

Borrowing from the vast array of alien expressions he had learned from his human, Toothless felt his bottom lip curl inwards, his gums pressing down on the scale as he tucked his tail snugly against his legs.

_"Sorry."_

Though his eyes spoke of weariness, Hiccup laughed genuinely, smiling towards his partner. _"It's fine. I was thinking about laying down, anyway."_ On cue, a yawn pulled his lips apart, bearing elongated canines and sharpened molars.

Toothless shifted, unfurling a wing and rolling slightly to his left. A smaller grin than the last lit Hiccup's features as he righted himself, shuffling over to his mate's side and plopping back down, lowering his weight with his left hand as he did so. A nasally whine of pain as his bicep burned did not go unnoticed by the Shade, but Hiccup was quick to dismiss any discomfort.

_"You're not fine, Hiccup; you're exhausted and sore."_

_"Oh, am I? I hadn't noticed."_ The boy chuckled, letting his head fall against heated black scales. A pulse of hot air hit his upper arm as Toothless inspected it, distracting him from the warm sensation of relaxation. _"Seriously, it's nothing that won't heal. I got grazed by a fireball, that's it."_

_"You _are_ aware that your scales were your saving grace?"_

His legs involuntarily tensed as phantom claws ripped at their flesh, the light scars aching for just a moment. _"Trust me, I'm fully aware of that, Toothless."_ He let go of his breath all at once, sinking farther into the dragon's side as a tail curled around his waist. His eyes were dragged closed even as his mind yelled at him to get back to thinking, but fatigue easily shut responsibilities out. _"It's been a long day, bud."_

Giving a single lick to the darkened scales of his mate's arm, Toothless wrapped himself completely around his human. _"And we've yet longer ones ahead. The swarm will be here within a quarter of a day."_

Hiccup nodded, his cheek rubbing pleasantly against the thick hide. Unpleasant thoughts of failure and death swam through the permeating, buzzing haze in his mind.

_"What do we do, Toothless? How do we get to Berk?"_

Toothless' tail pulled Hiccup ever closer to his body in response. Rustling scales from their neighbors filled the gap of silence between the intimate pair.

The boy sighed again, feeling all the weight of his collapsing world on his chest. The home he had made, friends and family he'd come to know... already, crucial pieces of his life had been wrenched from him.

_Why aren't you here, Alda?_

Pain lit his third eye, the same color as the burning sun as memories of his mentor flashed by his closed eyes.

_I need you right now... We all do._

Retreating into his mindspace, Hiccup slowly drifted, circling with his thoughts around the glowing light. He stared downwards, where the glare was brightest, and watched as it grew in magnitude. His physical body felt an itch on the top of his head, repudiated as scale overtaking hair, but the brighter the light grew, the more agitated the itch became.

Brows furrowed, Hiccup dove downwards as the intensity of the itch grew to an alarming level. He willed his arm to scratch it, but his claws simply brushed over it, as if the infuriating sensation was below skin and scale.

Deep enough in his own mind to brush against his baser instincts in his descent, Hiccup finally caught sight of the source of the odd glow. It was a Rune of very large structure and one that Hiccup had never seen before. Circling just above the pulse of his heart, the Rune was filled with a multitude of curves and an equal amount of sharp angles, the lines so convoluted that it almost appeared solid. A thicket of branching, weaving connections obscured most of the mindspace behind the Rune, and though it was far taller and much wider than his body, there was no repeating pattern to be found.

Nearing the point of digging a claw into his skull to get relief, Hiccup stretched out a hand and gently placed the pad of his index finger against the design.

_The task ahead is daunting. Even more worrisome is the short time with which we have to act._

Hiccup's head had whipped around, darting in every direction when the voice first spoke. Now, as the Rune pulsed in time with his rising heartbeat, the hybrid grasped one of the many lines of the shape. _"...Alda?"_

Whispers began in his ears, crescendoing rapidly as strings of various Runes flitted in and out of Alda's. Glyphs and markings swirled around his head as Home Cave's society, the memories of the Silver Age, a lullaby from a long-deceased mother all sang and screamed within his mind. It was too much.

"_Stop."_ The command was accompanied by Hiccup's arms being thrown out to his sides, pushing thoughts and emotions that had gathered back up to their rightful places. The stream was cut instantly, all traces of life but for the voice having vanished at Hiccup's command.

_You learn control quickly. Good. You will need it._

"_...For what? Where are you?"_

_I am before you. Your task to move Home Cave to Berk with alarming haste is possible without casualty, but you will need help from the-_

"_You're 'before me'? Alda, I don't unders... You're... you're not Alda, are you?"_

_No, I am not Alda._

Those words sent a sliver of ice into Hiccup's heart as the brief hope he had held was quashed mercilessly by the even reason and logic of the words that followed.

_I am a representation of Alda. I possess all the knowledge he had at the time of my creation, that is all. What voice and independence I have, I take from your mind, which drives me and is now my home. Now, you will need help from the other Imbued if you are to succeed. Bring these Runes to Ryshkaa, Inscribe them in a Circle and inscribe this Rune on every Shade, as I once showed you. Unite Home Cave as one, and you will make the journey safely._

~There was a sharp hiss, and Hiccup found himself standing in the sky far above the Great Ice Shelf. Below, a multitude of Shades milled about in a loose group. One dragon in particular stood out, meandering between each individual Shade and pausing to inscribe a Rune in the slight divot between the eyes and below the line of dorsal crests. Hiccup was able to watch this particular Shade inscribe the same Rune on every single dragon present, with each recipient giving their full attention and standing patiently to receive the mark.

When every Shade had the same Rune pulsing on their faces, they turned and ran as one from the edge of the Shelf, spreading their wings and catching the thermal from a warm summer sea below and rising into the sky. Hiccup kept his eye on the Imbued Shade that had stayed at the head of the group after finishing his inscriptions. As Hiccup focussed on him, he found his viewpoint rapidly closing in on the lead Shade, bringing out the subtle details of his wings and scales: A scar adorned his left wing, wrapping around to the underside from the near-center; the overlapping,triangular segments of his hide dulled light that hit it, giving his armor a matte sheen.

The boy's eyes trailed up the dragon's head, and quickly from his skull to a point just in front of his snout. Before the lead Shade floated a ghostly translucent set of Runes, the very same that Hiccup had just been given by 'Alda'.

Now that he was closer, Hiccup could see even more than only the design. Lines of light, hair-thin and barely visible in the sun, ran from the circled configuration, to each and every Rune inscribed on the Shades behind, forming a web of interlocking threads that glimmered and pulsated on the very edge of sight.

And before Hiccup's eyes, the clouds and landscape surrounding the flying group began to move past faster, and faster until they blurred into streaks of color, and finally darkened into blackness. A blackness that Hiccup remembered well from his first meeting with Ryshkaa.~

With a jolt, Hiccup opened his physical eyes, and leapt to his feet.

_"Ryshkaa!"_

III

_"And you know what happened from there." _Hiccup had still not opened his eyes, but his view from Toothless' eyes beheld the same wispy clouds and distant rolling ocean as when he'd begun the memory.

_"I don't know if I truly understand, but Alda left a large amount of knowledge in your mind, as a Rune?"_

_"That's about the most accurate description I can come up with."_

Toothless released a snort that was not audible over the rushing wind, but vibrated the entire length of his spine.

_"These are strange forces, Hiccup. It was frightening enough knowing that Alda could crush the Three - or any of us - with his power, but now he's left a piece of himself within you?"_

_"It's more than a piece Toothless. He's there. All of him. Everything except that which made him an individual. He's not alive. He's left a hollow shell behind to guide and teach, just like he did in life."_

For a long moment, the howling wind and creaking of Toothless' wing joints were the only sounds.

_"When are you going to tell Ryshkaa?" _

Hiccup drew a deep breath, intending to calm himself, but when he released it the sound was that of a wheezing gasp.

_"I've no idea. Not any time soon, that's for sure. She's keeping all of the Shades on the same line of thought. She's a natural leader. Perhaps once we reach Berk."_

_"In that case you don't have long. Unless I'm very much mistaken, we're passing over the island that we departed from after meeting Ryshkaa. Berk can't be more than another hour or two."_

Hiccup's eyes opened wide.

XXX

Yulla

Yulla shivered. Her scales were not yet fully hardened into the cold resistant armor that she needed to survive outside of a nest. This place was like a nest, but there was no mother. No warmth. No secure feeling that any birthplace should have. This was a cold and icy hole, which she inhabited alone.

As her breathing calmed, Yulla tried to remember where her home had gone. Where was the warmth? Security? Mother?

Mother!

_Air flowing past her face. _Where had so much wind come from? _Panicked spasming of her spine. _What was she doing in the air? _Soft ice, enveloping her. Cushioning her fall. Piercing her thin hide like a talon._

She'd fallen! They had fled with the others from Home, flying out and away across the frigid sky, when the horrible white pressure had pushed against her mind, and she'd slipped.

Rapidly, the tiny Shade turned and twisted, struggling to orient herself back the way she'd descended into the snow. Searching and probing with her paws, she managed to find the place where the snow was looser, where it had shifted and allowed her body past.

With a great squeaking gasp, she burst from the snow bank that had held her captive.

Immediately, pressure buffeted her tiny conscious. A freezing white pressure sent wave after wave of force crashing against the little Shade's thoughts, flattening and scattering them like a powerful wind. The tiny dragon teetered on the verge of unconsciousness as she quaked with the unbearable cold.

The pressure vanished, leaving the world still, quiet and dark.

Yulla opened her eyes to watch a light flurry of dusty ice dance past on the wind. From within the snow, a massive white paw stepped forward. As the wind passed, an enormous form with glowing yellow eyes seemed to melt out of the flat white sky behind it.

"_Wh- Who are you?"_

The yellow eyes blinked.

"_Hush, Yulla. Listen carefully. You must survive. You must return to your mother and melt away her grief. Her howl of anguish when she felt you slip pierced me from many miles away. You must return to her, and to do that, you must come to me."_

The deep, soft voice was soothing and warm after the shock of snow and the blinding white pressure that had caused her to fall. Yulla took a few tentative steps forward. The enormous grey creature matched her steps. When they met, a wet nose bumped softly against her forehead.

"_I am not the enemy. But the enemy fast approaches. When they fly overhead there must be absolutely no sign of you. They do not bother with my kind. So stay quiet. In fact, sleeping would be best. You're exhausted."_

The grey wolf paced a few circles about the little Shade before settling down, curling into a tight ball and laying his tail over his nose, surrounding Yulla in a wall of warm, musky fur. At first Yulla felt panic rise as the walls closed around her, but after a moment, the wolf's heat began to seep past her hide. She ceased all movement and relaxed entirely as a soft humming filled her mind.

XXX

Ice Fang

With a flick of his tail, the wolf sent a flurry of snow whipping about them in circles, stirring the surrounding flakes. The snow slowly shaped itself into a bowl and traces of the little dragon's scent were buried. When he settled down around Yulla, she panicked and began to squirm for a moment, but almost immediately surrendered to the warmth of the fur walls around her. Poor little creature could not even defend her mind from him, much less the monstrosity chasing her.

As the youngling relaxed in her warm, furry nest, Ice Fang looked to the southern horizon. A large dark mass was evident, swelling and contracting against the overcast sky. The rest of the pack was far off outside of the path of the intruders. They wanted nothing to do with this conflict. But Ice Fang had been unable to ignore that scream. The anguished cry of a mother losing her child. It had been so similar to his own mate's call when their pup had not lasted through his first night alive, so painful that it had driven his body into action and summoned the power of the ice into his paws to guide him.

As he watched, the discoloration on the horizon expanded and became a cloud of darting, diving shapes. At the head of the mass, a single dark mass flew with impossible speed. As it passed overhead, the pressure that had steadily increased at the outer edges of Ice Fang's mind peaked and he groaned quietly. After the shape had passed, a thunderous sound pulsed in the air and a ripple passed along the snow, jolting the wolf as it impacted.

As the rest of the swarm passed over, Ice Fang remained perfectly still, but internally he relaxed. The others would not deviate from their course if the leader passed them by. When the last of them were gone, he'd set out to find his pack, and later, the Shades.

XXX

Tutore

A quarter mile away, a doe ripped tufts a grass from the freezing earth. There were four squirrels within earshot, and a rabbit thumped about in its den several feet below the surface. Tutore took note of all this before opening his eyes, as he had noted the passing patrols of dragons during the night.

Light and color swirled together to create the physical world, whitewashed by thin crusts of frost covering the grass and bracken. His neck rotated twice in either direction, popping several times as his wings unfurled to allow his torso breath. Unfortunately, this also allowed the two humans sleeping against him the chance to taste the raw cold of the morning air. The female did not seem to appreciate the opportunity.

Steel scratched leather as her knife was pulled free, and the girl whipped around on the spot in search of a non-existent enemy. _Calm down. I'd not have been so gentle if there was danger._ Of course she didn't hear him.

As Astrid steadied her breath, her eyes came to rest on Tutore's snout. _Did you expect me to gently shake you awake and kiss you on the forehead?_ Whatever remark she had to make was swallowed as he met her eyes, his features communicating his thoughts almost perfectly.

"Yeah, alright." She sheathed her blade and turned to the fat, snoring human, pausing as the Night Fury sighed loudly. "Thanks."

Tutore gave a nonverbal rumble, pushing Gobber off his hip and standing to his full height in one motion. His shoulders rolled, tail flexed, hind legs stretched, and back arched while the crippled oaf sputtered and scrambled in the dirt.

Completely ignoring the male, Tutore turned again to Astrid and stamped a paw to get her attention. When he had it, he drew a small X in the dirt, circling and patting it down. His gesture was met with furrowed brows and a small shake of the head, but that was anticipated. He backed off from the marking slightly, tapping the X and bobbing his head down to stare pointedly at the mark.

"You want me to stand on it?" She asked with a sideways look, no doubt wondering what the purpose of this was. Insistent, the dragon repeated the motions with annoyance on his muzzle. That was enough to earn a tentative step forward and a long pause thereafter.

Tutore's patience was wearing thin. His ear swiveled and faced northeast, tracking the deer's movements and planning his path to it. _What exactly might I do to you? Eat you? Drop a log on your head?_

The girl's eye twitched as if she sensed the condescending tone, and a moment later she strode the rest of the distance, coming to a rest over the X.

"What exactly-"

Tutore whipped through the trees, his paws making but the lightest impression in the ground as his wings beat, propelling him forward as he half-ran, half-flew towards his breakfast. He slammed into the mammal seconds after spotting it, snapping the bones in its neck as he slid to a halt and dragged its limp body behind him.

Blood pooled around his teeth and down his gullet, igniting the emptiness in his stomach. A quick pulse of blue light also sparked inside his maw, and the smell of blood disappeared entirely. It would not due to draw the horde atop them.

Off in the distance came a shout of "What the-_?!_"

A gurgling laugh sent bubbles through the warm blood, and soon after chunks of meat followed the mirth. The Shade ate quickly, knowing the humans would need his senses, but he would have done so regardless. Years of remaining unseen and unheard had taught him the meaning of haste. When he finished, naught remained but a small pool of blood and a parallel set of marks where his claws had dug in to halt him.

"So what the hell was that all about?"

The deer's hind leg rolled off his tongue and onto the dirt. Tutore let out a loud belch, pushing the bloody limb towards the female with his nose. _I was hungry, and you are, too._

She sighed, walking up to the leg and drawing her blade. "Thanks. Do you mind?"

Tutore obliged, bathing the leg in flames for a few seconds. As he stepped away and let Astrid start to tear chunks away, the dragon eyed the big human perched on the log. The chilly look he gave the Shade matched the mild frost on the ground. _He doesn't seem to like me. Shame._

The male looked away after a moment, staring venomously at a tree instead. Astrid didn't notice, too focused on the meal in front of her.

Once she had separated what meat she could and gave Gobber his share, the three faced each other in a ragged triangle. The male separated himself by a noticeable distance, glancing up at the dragon every few bites as if he were afraid of an attack.

Oblivious to the silent distrust, Astrid talked as she ate, thinking out loud. "We're accomplishing nothing by staying out here. Eventually we'll need to return to the village... I just don't know what to do about the horde. I don't suppose you can make them all glow blue and vanish?"

_Do you think we would be here if I could, child? Even Alda would struggle to destroy a group that size by himself._

She took his stony silence for what it was and harrumphed, turning to Gobber. "Where did you say Fishlegs was when you left him?"

He rounded suddenly, his whiskers twitching as his lip curled. "I didn' leave 'em! We got separated!"

Her hands rose next to her head, palms open and flat in a gesture of submissiveness. "Relax, Gobber, you know what I meant."

He grunted angrily, turning to his last scraps of meat and ripping them apart. "I dunno where 'e went. We were runnin' towards the forest when Hoark went down. I pulled the lad along and kept runnin', jus' tryin' to get some distance before they noticed us, but I couldn' tell ya where I lost him." He let out a shaky breath, dropping the deer's ankle and letting his head fall. "Gods above, I _did_ lose him. I was jus'..." Astrid reached out for him, grasping his shoulder. "If I hadn't been so bloody scared I'd 'uh had the sense ta' keep 'im close..."

"Fishlegs isn't a child. He knows how to survive in the wild..."

"Agains' the likes o' that?!" He pointed his missing limb towards Tutore. "Fishlegs hasn' killed so much as a Terror! Wha's he ta do when a beast like this comes down on 'im?"

_I am no beast, human. _Tutore snarled quietly. _I saved your craven hide. I had nothing to do with your village burning._

Unheard and unnoticed, the Shade's words did nothing to quench the angry fire building in Gobber. The snarl, however, brought the male to his feet. Fist and jaw clenched, the human looked to be on the verge of trying to vent his frustration on the nearest dragon. _That would not end well for you. Shall I show you why?_

As if sensing Tutore's intentions, Astrid looked toward him, placing herself between the males. She might have said something, had the dragon not vanished on the spot. Tutore brought the large Rune on his back to life, bending light around his hide and rendering him invisible, save for a faint shimmer that could be blamed on heat had there been any in the air. He jumped over both their heads, bringing a second rune to life and cushioning his landing on a thin curtain of air, rendering his movements completely silent.

A few feet behind Gobber, the Shade watched as he whipped around frantically, brandishing the maul attached to his stump as though he believed it would be of any use to him. Tutore crouched low and snarled, allowing the stone bludgeon to scream over his head. The dragon allowed himself a small amount of joy in the look of terror on the great oaf's face as he backstepped from the nothingness in front of him.

A screech rang out from above, and Gobber glimpsed a Night Fury as it plunged towards him. He rolled to the side and lifted his head just in time to see the dragon waver and vanish inches above the ground.

Tutore imagined a look of utter shock on the human's face as he pressed his weight onto the male's back, sending him face-first into the dirt for the second time. _Should I ever want to kill you, you won't be able to stop me. Try to remember that the next time you wish to harm me._

"Enough!" Astrid was at the Shade's side, pushing on his neck and staring at him coldly. "We get it, let him up!"

Tutore compiled with a snort. Gobber stood immediately, backpedaling away from his assailant and looking ready for another attack. The males locked eyes, and from the frantic movements of the human's, both knew who was in charge in this little group.

"Next time you want to make someone soil their breeches, try to make sure it's somebody who's not trying to _help us_!"

_This oaf has thus far eaten our food and complained loudly about my presence. If anything, he's a liability._

The girl's eyes narrowed under the dragon's cool stare. "He's my friend. _Our_ friend. Settle your differences and let's go." With no more words and a click of her tongue, she turned and started off, catching her Terror on her shoulder as she walked.

Left with no one but each other, both males turned to the other. Gobber's lip curled briefly before he followed Astrid, hurriedly catching up to her and throwing a glance over his shoulder every few steps.

_Idiot._ Turning to the ground, Tutore quickly excavated a small hole. The deer's carcass fit inside perfectly, and when it was packed and sealed within the earth, the dragon leaped into the forest canopy and followed the humans.

An hour's walk from where they awoke passed in silence, broken only by a single pair of wings from an overhead patrol and the creaking of tree branches as they struggled with the Shade's weight. Were he forced to guess, Tutore would say that their path would take them up the slope of the enormous peak that dominated the island and around the base. They would be able to look down on Berk and assess the situation. If they did intended to retake Berk, they would need to know their opposition. _The girl has a keen eye for strategy. As long as her wits are about her, she should fear no harm._

As their trek began to slope upwards and out of the trees, they came upon a mound of fallen boulders. The cloying smell of death was so strong that Tutore was sure even the humans could notice. Astrid hopped nimbly from stone to stone, holding a hand to her nose as she glanced down at a dragon's protruding limb every so often, and gave Gobber no choice but to follow by ignoring his protests.

"High ground is the last place we should be. There's plenty 'a caves lower down near the treeline."

_Had you been listening earlier, you'd know we need to start being proactive. Every second we spend hiding in a cave is time your people spend deteriorating._

The dragon ascended the hill with two flaps of his wings, leaving Gobber to curse and reluctantly follow. While they waited for the one-handed viking to join them, Astrid jumped onto a rock and looked towards the village. "We'll have to get much closer for any sort of good look. Can you watch our backs?"

_Do I ever neglect to?_

She rolled her eyes, pulling Gobber up the last few feet. "Thanks."

Gobber reached out and placed his hand on Astrid's shoulder. "Will ya' stop talkin' to it? It can't talk back, you know." The Terror hissed, nipping at his fingers and quavering when the digits were hastily withdrawn. Tutore grumbled, laughing alongside his tiny cousin. "Bloody beasts." Gobber skulked past Astrid, taking point. Doubtless he preferred to look upon dragons he was allowed to kill.

After another half hour of steady upward trekking, scrambling, and cursing, Berk came into view along with a ghastly blow to Astrid's optimism. Hundreds of dragons adorned the burned foundations of houses, and more filled the sky circling lazily above the scene of ashen destruction. _These are not acceptable conditions for a rescue attempt._

Astrid grunted, scanning the ruins with restless eyes. "The southern docks aren't too busy, but we'd need to go by water to get over there and there aren't any ships left... even if there were we'd have the ocean to our backs. Same problem with sneaking around from the west. We'd never get over the ridges and rocks, and they've been sleeping in the trees around here since they arrived, it's a miracle there aren't any around." She glanced to the east, sizing up the giant peak that cast its shadow on the village. "Dammit! What in hell can we do?" She kicked a rock down the cliff in frustration, and a rumbling snarl answered.

Tutore shoved his way to the edge, glancing down on a small patrol that gazed right back up at them. Two Gronkles hovered over a lone Nightmare, who snarled and gnashed his teeth at him. _Stay down. If they come up here we'll not be leaving quietly._

A molten rock was launched at his muzzle from the rightmost Gronckle. Tutore sent it screaming back down at its owner with a bat from his paw, but his ears were spared the sounds of bones snapping as the pest had already moved out of its path.

_Time to go._ Turning towards the humans, Tutore made to make his way back down the slope when he eyed a lone Terror perched on a treetop. The Shade knew better than to believe that the tiny serpent was alone, but it blocked the way down with little more than an unflinching stare. _Up. They're pushing us upward and away, and with them flanking us we've little other choice._

Astrid had seen the Terror as well, and her knife silently entered her hand. "Gobber, keep your mouth shut and follow me. We need to move." She glanced down at the Nightmare once more before walking backwards along the ridge, pulling the male along with her. None of the dragons made to follow, but Tutore watched two of the Gronkles skirt along the bottom of the hill, following Astrid's movements. Two shots from the Shade came within inches of clipping their wings, stopping their progress for a short time.

The girl turned and started jogging, keeping her eyes towards the village and the sky above it. Tutore and Gobber followed closely as the dragon kept their pursuers at bay with an occasional volley of fire. He made certain none of his shots landed to keep the dragons unprovoked as they made the shallow climb.

"If we circle the mountain we'll eventually get back into the forest. I'd really rather not come anywhere near the ocean, but we can't do much about that."

_Wrong._ Bounding to a halt in front of the female, Tutore leaned towards her as he crouched, extending his wings. _Quickly. You as well, oaf._

Astrid and her Terror climbed onto his neck without hesitation, but her outstretched hand went ignored by Gobber. "Gobber, don't argue, don't think, just get on."

"You're outta your mind, Astrid! Get the hell down befo-"

"DON'T ARGUE. DO YOU WANT TO DIE?"

"I'M NOT GETTIN' ON A BLOODY DRAGON!"

_Then I'll drag you along._ Before his jaws could capture the human's coat and lift him off the ground, the Terror watching from the treetops wailed loudly. Astrid watched it fall alongside the rock that had struck it, then whipped around to face the voice shouting down from the mountain.

"Astrid! Gobber! Let's go!" Fishlegs was barreling towards them, followed by Ruff, and Tuff stood a ways above them with a pile of fist-sized stones at his feet. "Tuffnut will cover us, but we've got to hurry!"

_More idiots to draw the swarm to us. Perfect. _

"Tuff!" Astrid shouted, waving frantically. "Stop attacking them! You'll bring more!"

The Nightmare screamed past the ridge, fully aflame and screeching at the top of its lungs. Tutore heard dozens from the village answer it cries and knew they would shortly be surrounded. _Us or them, Astrid. I cannot carry them all and we cannot fight._

"Just get us in the air and try to keep them off the others!"

_We'll be slaughtered in the process, but nothing exciting has happened since I arrived on this wretched rock! Into the fire with me, human!_

Tutore flexed, tensing the muscles along his spine and bending his knees before launching himself skyward, gaining fifty feet for two flaps of his wings. Shades were not adept at hovering for long periods of time, and Tutore felt the strain on his neck almost immediately with the unaccustomed weight of the girl clinging behind his ears, but he began to beat his wings, maintaining a steady height and surveying the situation below. The Gronkles were cresting the ledge that had previously separated them from the humans, while a large group of Terrors surged from the treeline up toward them.

"Behind us!" Tutore could hear the wind whistling over thousands upon thousands of scales as an enormous portion of the cloud of dragons swarming above the ruins began to converge on them.

_One thing I find absolutely infuriating about your culture is that you're all INSANE!_ Tutore fired five shots in quick succession. The first three hit the Nightmare and Gronkles squarely at the base of their skulls. The Nightmare let out a sharp shriek as the explosion snapped its neck, falling limp. The Gronkles, being far thicker of limb and bulkier in just about every other aspect, turned to buzz angrily toward the Shade. The remaining two shots exploded on the ground before the Terror swarm, digging out large craters and throwing dirt in all directions. The swarm faltered, milling aimlessly in confusion.

"RUN, YOU MORONS!"

Releasing the tension in his upper back, Tutore dipped forward and dove, banking sharply to lead the enormous cloud behind them away and toward the sea. The Shade's ears were on a swivel, tracking the group behind as well as the location of adversaries in the trees below. They could not hope to take flight in time to catch them, but as his claws skimmed the treetops fiery projectiles rose from the forest floor. A few came disturbingly close; one burned a small section of hair on Astrid's head. Tutore grunted in irritation and gave two more flaps, pushing himself almost fast enough to start whistling. _Hold on tight!_

Despite her deafness, the girl's grip tightened as she leaned low, wrapping both arms and legs around his neck. The treetops vanished and they soared above the ocean, with the soft glow of the first stars of twilight reflected back upon them as they began to twinkle overhead.

Without warning, Tutore opened the slits along his throat. When the holes gaped wide, he opened his mouth, allowing air to rush downward through the slits and back along his throat, feeding oxygen to his furnace. As the heat in his belly increased, he let the slits begin to shrink closed, releasing the ascending, piercing wail that was a staple of his kind. When the sound and heat in his stomach approached their zenith, Tutore ratcheted his wings upward, climbing so fast he flipped sharply to face the oncoming swarm.

His final action was to flood his tongue with the Heart's Fire, igniting the Rune permanently cut into his muscle.

An enormous explosion violently lit the night, bathing the ashen scene of Berk with bloody light. Dragon corpses rained from the sky as the concussive blast tore the front of the swarm to shreds. Behind him, Tutore heard the girl breathe a relieved sigh, as though the danger had ended. But he could still hear the throng.

Tutore broke into a sweeping turn away from the smokey cloud that was left above Berk, obscuring sight of the dragons that were ducking and diving, milling about in a confused throng.

_Don't get comfortable. I distracted them so the fools' troupe could get away. Now we need to cut and run._

As Tutore prepared to light the Runes of stealth upon his back with what Fire he had left, a faint sound caught his ear. It was barely audible, and at first he took it to be a trick of the wind, some distant sound distorted to sound familiar, but as it grew in volume, Tutore could not deny what he heard.

Hundreds of faint whistles rang through the sky from impossibly high above.

Astrid gasped.

XXX

Toothless

_"I don't care how familiar Hiccup is with the landscape or the inhabitants; one of the Wing leaders will act as the head of this group. And we certainly require a head. Without unity, we'll have a fragmented mental state without solid direction or goals."_ As the Shade finished speaking a great many voices lifted in agreement, some quiet, but all firm. Toothless sighed. Skuru had been the one to suggest that Hiccup act as the primary head of the group, and while it wasn't a big surprise that everyone present was not prepared to put that sort of trust into his mate, it was a little disheartening. It was simply evidence that there was still a ways to go before Hiccup was accepted fully and completely.

_"Very well, who then will we choose? It should be someone with no bias against the human, if we're to rely on his intelligence of this place." _

Sycle spoke up now. _"Well said Tymiieh. I would like to nominate Gallic, whom has acted as Home Cave's voice. He is level-headed and will make decisions for the benefit of all present." _There were no feelings of opposition. Gallic was a trusted and old member of Home Cave, one of the first to be born into the Three's haven.

Silently, Gallic's Wing dove downward and formed the point, allowing Sycle's Wing to lift up and to the side to take their place. The maneuvers were far slower and longer than any Toothless had performed previously, this being his first flight in a state of Lockwing.

_Doesn't it seem strange that I learned about a new way in which to fly from you?_

Hiccup snorted. _I don't think so. We both had to figure out a way for you to fly with only one tail fin. _

Toothless felt the dim pang of guilt that spasmed in Hiccup's chest. _I suppose you're right. And for the record... _He drew his mate down into their mindspace and pinned him against a solid surface. _I'm very glad that you brought me down that night. _His muzzle brushed against Hiccup's cheek. He felt warmth around his neck as his human embraced him, pressing himself tightly to the black scales that his own skin now mirrored. Toothless purred as the circular scar on his collarbone was traced, drawing his tongue down Hiccup's shoulder and back. There were two strange bulges, where it seemed that twin round pieces of muscle were pushing away from the space between shoulder and spine.

_"Would you two mind? It's one thing for us not to intrude, but you're practically broadcasting at the moment. Poor Sycle is getting nauseous." _Skuru's impudent and chuckling voice interrupted their quiet moment.

_"My stomach is in no way affected, you softscaled hatchling! Leave them in peace!"_

Toothless felt Hiccup raise himself from his lying position and turn towards Skuru, who flew below and slightly behind them.

_"Careful Skuru, or I might just have to come ride you for a while!" _Toothless dipped his head below to look behind him and watched Skuru's eyes widen.

_"Don't you dare! I've never carried a human before!"_

Hiccup laughed aloud, startling many of those around. Before he could reply, however, Gallic's voice spoke.

_"May I speak with those Imbued and any others that would like to listen?" _Immediately the mental pressure of many minds pushed against Toothless' own as Hiccup, Ryshkaa, Skuru, and Myza responded, and many others began to listen. _"Thank you. Are you all recovering well from your exertion? It certainly was quite the feat." _

_"Well enough Gallic, but I'm guessing your question implies some new labor in store for us, should we tell you how rested we are."_

The drake chuckled._"You see right through me Myza, but the labour I have in mind shall only require one of you, and I daresay it shall not be either you or Skuru. I would like someone to jump ahead to Berk - we are very close now - and assess the condition of both the island and its inhabitants. I'd like to know how many of the Nest are in the area and what it will take to land our group safely."_

_"You include Skuru in the pool unjustly, Gallic. He's never set wing near Berk. I took over what was supposed to be his first scouting mission when he broke his wing. I'm the only one present that can bring you the information your desire." _Ryshkaa's words were concise and dry, but she did not sound daunted at the task of scouting.

_"And has your reserve of energy recovered sufficiently to get you there and back in a timely manner?"_

_"Certainly I can get there, but if I leave now I'll need some time to get back, assuming you plan to hold here until I return."_

_"That was indeed my plan. Perhaps we could..."_

_"Hold still Ryshkaa!"_

Toothless knew what Hiccup planned as he made the decision. It was so rash and dangerous that he made to grab him, but he couldn't react fast enough to immobilize his mate before the action was done. Hiccup rose and turned, bounding two steps down Toothless' back before leaping and suspending himself tens of thousands of feet above the ocean for a full five, heart stopping seconds. He landed on Ryshkaa's back and latched on, eliciting a panicked squawk from the female.

For a moment, Toothless was furious, but as he considered he realized that even if Hiccup had fallen, he'd have had plenty of time to unlock his wings, dive and retrieve him. Still, that did not make what he'd done any less dangerous.

_"Sorry Bud! I'll be right back!" _Hiccup turned and deftly maneuvered himself so that he was sitting on Ryshkaa's back in the same place he occupied on Toothless, placed his finger against scale and began to sketch a Rune. It was simple, only requiring three lines, and when it was complete, Hiccup placed his palm flat against it. There was a flare of blue light and a feeling of heat.

_"Hiccup, when did you learn this?" _Ryshkaa's words were very quiet and serious.

_"Um... not long ago." _

_"When we make land on Berk, we're going to sit down and have a serious conversation." _With an audible click, Ryshkaa's wings became flexible. She beat them, gaining speed and drawing upwards and ahead of Toothless. Hiccup wasted no time in jumping off, falling for a few brief seconds before landing securely on Toothless' back.

With a deft claw, Ryshkaa sketched out a Rune on her chest. For a brief moment her form seemed to stretch and elongate until she was twice her own length, before a blur of motion and a concussive noise obscured her from sight.

_What did you do? _Toothless asked as Gallic tilted his wings to bring the entire group into a circular, holding turn.

_I gave her some of my Fire._

_And you learned that from the Alda that's living in your head?_

_Yes. I'd guess that she only recently began to learn about such things before his death. She knows something is going on, so I suppose we'll just have to explain when we get to Berk. _Hiccup sprawled out again, stretching as much of his body out as he possibly could, allowing himself to fall swiftly back to the writhing tendrils and swirling gold of their mindspace.

_It sure would be nice to be able to just relax and float without a care in the world, as you are. _His voice was light and teasing.

_Then shut up and come float. _With a great exertion, Hiccup reached outward and took hold of his mate, pulling his conscious thought away, downward and inward.

XXX

Hiccup

_Someone's been practicing new tricks. _Toothless was chuckling as his phantom wings embraced his mate.

Hiccup allowed a smirk to flit across his face. _Hardly. I'm just flailing about in ignorance and occasionally succeeding._

_Perhaps flailing isn't too poor of a way to learn. I must admit, lockwing is wonderful. We could glide up here forever without a care in the world. No predators, no distractions, no worry._

The human hybrid sighed, wiggling slightly to bring as much of his projection's scale into contact with Toothless.

_So why don't we? _The thought wasn't entirely Hiccup's, nor was it entirely Toothless'. The words resounded from deep down, far below where the two floated.

_"We could soar directly over Berk and just keep going. No need to stop. No need to deal with any of the troubles below. We could just..." _The words wound their way through Hiccup's thoughts, sinuous and flexible. So many things were possible. He and Toothless held the entire rest of their lives within easy rein. They could do as they pleased.

Couldn't they?

Abruptly, Hiccup became aware of the three other minds orbiting close beside theirs: Sycle, Kale, Skuru. Together they formed a unit that could best any challengers, overcome trials that separately would be impossible. If he and Toothless were to sail on into the horizon, what would become of them? The group had certainly been fine before their arrival, but now? How deeply were he and his mate rooted to this collective?

And now Hiccup's thoughts began to branch, as they often did. His form became lighter and he was aware of a change in motion. Rather than resist, Toothless simply grumbled quietly as Hiccup lifted and began to fall slowly toward the edge of their mind.

_"Where exactly do you think you're going?" _Toothless pushed off and lazily followed, adding in a twirl for fun.

_"I've no idea. I've decided to stop thinking. Or at least stop trying to think __**about**__ things." _

It was easy. When they passed through the opening, a vast galaxy unfolded before them. The minds of every Shade present were glittering and pulsing brilliantly through the speckled blackness. There were less, certainly, than when the vote had taken place in Home Cave, but unlike then, not a single one of these minds was shielded. No sphere was dark or muted, and thoughts flickered and flowed through the void freely.

As they drifted, tendrils dodged between, above, below, all around. It reminded Hiccup of a star shower, but here, all of the stars flowed in any direction at whatever speed was appropriate. The vast array of color was enough to blind normal sight, but of course their eyes were not open.

_"Did you have any idea it could look like this?" _Hiccup's voice was near a whisper, but when he spoke, a hazy stream of pulsing color flowed from his mouth, adding a new tendril to the celestial dance.

_"I spent a great deal of time in a similar place, but perverted and twisted." _A tiny cloud of reddish hue floated away from Toothless' face. Without thinking Hiccup reached out and passed his hand through the color.

For a moment his vision blackened, and all he could see were flashes of brief, violent red and a dim pulsing of minds around.

With a shudder, Hiccup jerked his hand away, moving it instead to rest against his mate's face.

_"She won't have you again. Never."_

Toothless' croon was resonant, carried along by the midnight blue aura pouring from his form. Hiccup reveled in the feelings that seeped into his mind through the contact, before pushing off and accelerating upward through the nebula.

As he rose with Toothless close behind him, he began to pass through other streams of thought. They were many and extremely varied. Sometimes he caught a few out of context words of a conversation, while other times images and memories flashed before his eye. One achromatic stream was nothing but the sound of wind gusting, lonely over the vast expanse of ice that was the roof of the world. That stream made him pause.

He delved deeper into the thought, watching the familiar landscape of snow build itself before his eyes. Above, emerald light exploded across the night, illuminating the silver landscape like an image caught in a location echo and tinged with a green that instantly called the forest of Berk to Hiccup's mind.

Below his vantage, Hiccup saw the memory's owner. A group of three youthful Shades romped through the snow, carelessly scattering the drifts and bellowing their delight to the night sky above.

_"Our kind may fight and feud to establish dominance and boundaries and all manner of other separations, but in the face of true heavenly wonder, they can do naught but rejoice."_

Hearing Toothless' soft statement, Hiccup felt a sudden tug behind his temple, pulling him backward to a memory of his own.

Hiccup stood on the roof of his home, staring down at the flames that ravaged his village. Yells and shouts formed a background of white noise while the smell of burning wood and flesh tainted the air. But above, above flew countless graceful forms weaving, turning, spinning, never hitting one another, all part of a great dance that only they could perform.

His hand found Toothless' side, for of course his partner was present in the memory.

_"Even when forced to fight and raid and kill they retain their harmony. No one individual is ever slighted out of petty motive or dislike. Their skill remains the distinguisher." _Hiccup could hear the wistful note in his own voice.

_"And your place on Berk?" _

_"Was defined entirely by my ability to become the same. Not cooperative, but a copy. It seems just too perfect now that you came to take me away." _Toothless gave a pleasurable croon.

_"Anything to get you away from __**her**__." _

And now Hiccup's attention was drawn to a part of the memory that was not his own. He looked down to the ground, where embers and rising smoke made the ground nearly impossible to make out, but there was a shape that Hiccup could not mistake. As he stared, a Gronkle lava ball struck a nearby house, illuminating the figure.

In front of his house, Astrid Hofferson stood. She held a bucket filled with water and stared with a disbelief that transformed her face entirely. Hiccup could barely recognize her.

_"I didn't pay too much attention at the time, but I did notice her watching us. I probably should have mentioned it, but we left soon after and it was irrelevant."_

_"She looks as though her world's been shattered." _And quite suddenly, a strange urge filled Hiccup.

He wanted to see Astrid.

He wanted to see if her thinking was altered in any way by his last words. He wanted to see if she'd survived. Every memory of his youth contained his crushing on the beautiful, terrifying girl that had dominated his life and governed his actions for so long. He wanted to know how she'd changed.

The shock hit so hard that Hiccup's physical eyes sprung open to find that he was sitting upright on Toothless' back.

_"If so much as a daydream about that female passes my mind, I will pin you to a tree and lick your scales off."_

The dry monotone of Toothless' threat and the suddenly ridiculous situation was enough to pull a laugh from deep in Hiccup's gut, and for a good long minute he spasmed and gasped, releasing his mirth to the sky. Toothless, Skuru, and Kale followed suit, rumbling and gurgling up a storm. And to Hiccup's shock, he heard the dragon laughter expand and grow behind him, as the Shades all around began to laugh as well. For a moment he turned and stared, then he spoke with resolve to Toothless.

_"Even if she hasn't changed, I'm going to try again. I want to share this. I want Berk to know what could be."_

_"Well, first step is to hear out Ryshkaa." _Skuru's chirpy voice interrupted Hiccup's strange euphoric mood. He was about to ask if Skuru knew something he didn't, when he caught the sound. At first it was only a distant rumble, a vague vibration, like thunder that's too far away to see as lightning but is frighteningly powerful nonetheless. Slowly, the rumble built in volume and intensity, until Hiccup could feel his very ribs vibrating within his chest. At the sounds peak, there was an explosion of air and a vague black figure flew overhead so fast it was no more than a blurred line. _"She was always one for showing off skill rather than subtlety. She knows it drives me crazy."_

Hiccup was about to ask exactly what Skuru meant by that, but with a buffet of wind, Ryshkaa's form fell past Toothless on the right before finally slowing to rejoin the formation.

_"There is a problem."_

XXX

Astrid

For a brief moment, it appeared that the stars were falling.

A great number of lights, normally so slow to move, rapidly plummeted toward Berk. The sound seemed to herald the coming of Ragnarok itself, growing exponentially from a vibration just beyond hearing to a shriek that dug into Astrid's ear like a white-hot spear.

Accentuating the utter strangeness of the sight of celestial rain was an itch. Astrid's scalp abruptly began to prickle and twinge. At first it was ignorable, and she continued to stare at the sight that would have frozen all of Berk in place, had they been able to witness it. Gradually the itch intensified, then all at once became a compulsion. Astrid's fingers dug into her skin, seeking to claw out whatever was causing this horrible feeling.

The lights began to pass them, whipping downward with trails of rushing air following behind. In the dim moonlight, Astrid's guess was confirmed; all around them, Night Furies dove headlong for the ground, mouths open, fire raging in their throats. In the dim moonlight, their scales seemed to glow dully.

Pain struck quickly afterwards. Consuming the itch, a burning feeling ignited beneath her clawing fingers, causing her to cry out involuntarily. It felt as though someone held a torch to the inside of her forehead, building an aching pressure that worsened along with her pain.

As more and more dragons screamed past, Astrid's grip fell around the neck of the one that kept her aloft. She pressed her head against the relatively cool scales, unsure of how much longer she could withstand the agony before blacking out.

Something snapped; there was a ringing noise in her mind as everything - the pain, the itch, the screaming - vanished from her perception, and weightlessness took hold of her. In her world consisting of nothing but her blank thoughts, a voice sounded from all directions at once.

_"It's alright. Stay calm. Hold on, little one."_

The masculine voice brought the black form of a dragon into existence, and Astrid realised she had her arms wrapped around its neck. Her legs dangled loosely off its shoulders, but she pressed them against the drake's scales as he plummeted straight downward.

In her state of shock, the girl was slow to recognize anything not directly affecting her. All she knew in this moment in time was that she was falling head-first towards the ground on the back of a Night Fury. As the dragon below her started to scream, its cry growing from a shriek to a piercing wail, she became aware of other dragons mirroring his actions. Against the rush of wind blowing her hair back and threatening to balloon her cheeks, she raised to her head to find dozens, hundreds of teal lights shrieking and plummeting towards the earth.

She locked her grip around her dragon, closed her eyes, and placed her life in the hands of the gods.

Stoick

XXX

"No dragons in sight?"

"Not a sign of the beasts, Chief. Though I can hardly see anything at all, to be honest with ya. The moon's not full."

Stoick bid the woman who was staring through the crack in between the enormous doors away to help with the scurrying scuffle behind them.

"Pull those benches over! Give these doors some extra bracing!" Stoick was finding it easier to speak through the rasp in his throat, though now it seemed like it wouldn't matter much.

The whispers ran rampant throughout the hall. The sounds were obvious. Everyone present could distinguish the sound of a Night Fury charging its shot, but no person alive had ever heard the sound so very loud and sustained for such a long period of time. Eventually the noise reached a point that was beyond the endurance of the cavern's inhabitants, and panic began to bloom in the darkened hall.

"They're blowin' down the door!"

"That's it! We're doomed! Doooomed!"

"Get out o' the way! I need moi blankee!"

Stoick could not keep the frown from his face. Was it really destined to end like this? A lifetime of accomplishment and survival, summed up with an explosion while he cowered in a reeking hole? No heir would step up to claim the Chieftainship... hells, there wouldn't even be a village to be chief _of_. All of Berk was concentrated into this small, disgusting, disease-ridden cavern, and they'd be snuffed out with no more thought than a dragon would give to Vikings. Though it did seem that these dragons gave enough thought to actively seek the annihilation of Berk.

At least Hiccup had gotten away. A little smile quirked at Stoick's lip. Perhaps his son was still out there, away from the village. It was only a vague memory now, that night when he'd watched his son disappear into the sky. The blasted little fool had been so very contrary to what it meant to be a Viking that he'd leapt straight off the island, on the back of his sworn enemy no less. Stoic's eyes widened.

Hiccup had flown away on a dragon; a dragon the same color as the night that lent its name to the shout of those who feared it.

The shriek in his ears was now almost intolerable. Stoick's lips moved, but the sound that came forth was barely more than a whisper.

"Night Fury."

Outside, explosions blossomed and thundered, illuminating the silhouette of the door in a strange, bright cyan.

The door remained entirely, terrifyingly, still.


End file.
